Ethiopia Acted Legitimately in Tigray: AUC

Addis Ababa December 22/2020 (ENA) Ethiopia took "legitimate" military action in its Tigray region to preserve the country's unity and stability, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) said.

Speaking after the conclusion of a meeting of regional leaders on Sunday evening, AUC Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat said Ethiopia's military campaign in its Tigray Region was "legitimate for all states."

The humanitarian suffering of the conflict is cause for concern, he said.

"It cannot be denied, however, that the crisis in Tigray has provoked large scale displacement ... Particular attention should be paid to refugees and displaced people," he said in a tweet.

He was speaking following a meeting of the Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which brought together the leaders of Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibouti and Sudan, as well as officials from other neighboring countries.

It is to be recalled that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed thanked the regional leaders for "understanding and acknowledging our law enforcement measures as legal and legitimate".

In early November, the Federal Government has conducted a law enforcement operation in Tigray region following an attack orchestrated by the TPLF junta on Ethiopian National Defense Force Northern Command.