This week, as rebels led by the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) continued their advance towards the capital, Addis Ababa, Abiy pledged to personally direct the fight from the frontline and urged citizens to join him. “We prefer to die and let Ethiopia exist, than we live and Ethiopia dies,” he said. His bullish tone was a far cry from the message of hopeful reconciliation and change, which characterised the speeches he made shortly after sweeping to office in April 2018. At the time, he was Africa’s youngest leader, aged 41.

Source: The North Africa Journal November 25, 2021 01:07 UTC