Kuzeeko Tjitemisa

Namibians attached to the country’s embassy in Ethiopia are safe and sound amid armed conflict and civil unrest rocking the East African nation.

Ethiopia plunged into political crisis this week after the government declared a national state of emergency as rival Tigray forces threaten to move on the capital.

International relations minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah yesterday said she has spoken to Namibia’s ambassador to Ethiopia, Emilia Mkusa who informed her staff members are for now “safe and sound”.

“I will speak to her later today and give you an update,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which has been fighting Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government for a year, has claimed significant territorial gains in recent days, along with its ally the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA).

In November last year, Ahmed sent troops into the northern region to detain and disarm TPLF, whom he accused of attacking army camps.

According to international reports, Odaa Tarbii, spokesman for OLA, which has also claimed recent advances in Amhara and in the Oromia region surrounding Addis Ababa, said his group intended to topple Abiy’s government, calling his removal “a foregone conclusion”.

“If things continue in the current trajectory, then we are talking about a matter of months if not weeks,” he said, referring to OLA’s move on Addis Ababa.

In a statement released yesterday, Abiy accused the rebel alliance of trying to turn Ethiopia into Libya and Syria, adding: “They are set to destroy a country - not to build it.”

He also urged citizens to support the war effort, saying: “Victory over the threat posed by our enemies is unattainable if we do not work together.”