Switzerland calls for de-escalation and dialogue in Ethiopia

A blood drive in support of the Ethiopian military at a stadium in the capital Addis Ababa on Thursday. Rallies occurred in multiple cities in support of the government's military offensive against the Tigray People's Liberation Front. Keystone

Switzerland has expressed its concern about developments in Ethiopia, calling for a de-escalation of violence and a return to dialogue. It has also advised against travelling to the Tigray region in the northern part of the country.

In a statementExternal link on Friday the foreign ministry said anyone who was on the ground in the Tigray region should exercise the utmost caution and follow the instructions of the local authorities. A deterioration in the security situation in other parts of the country could not be ruled out, it said.

Keystone

After months of tension between the Ethiopian government in Addis Ababa and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the government recently launched an offensive against the armed group and the ruling party of Tigray.

Hundreds of people have been killed in the 11-day-old war. In a tweet on Friday, the Swiss foreign ministry urged that human rights and international humanitarian law be respected and that humanitarian aid for needy civilians not be hindered.

#EthiopiaExternal link: Switzerland's statement pic.twitter.com/AcyIUPUuJJExternal link

— Swiss MFA (@SwissMFA) November 13, 2020External link

The United Nations, the African Union and others are concerned that the fighting could spread to other parts of Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous country, and destabilise the wider Horn of Africa region.

Two airports in Ethiopia’s Amhara state, which neighbours Tigray, were targeted by rocket fire late on Friday, Reuters reported.

More than 14,500 people have fled into neighbouring Sudan, with the speed of new arrivals “overwhelming the current capacity to provide aid”, the UN refugee agency said on Friday.