The relatively cheap Turkish models helped turn the tide in Azerbaijan’s favor in its conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh and are considered more effective than the Iranian and Chinese drones already in Ethiopia’s arsenal.īrexit talks. In a sign that Abiy may not be interested in peace any time soon, Ethiopia is reportedly in the market for Turkish drones. The order counts both the TPLF and Ethiopian government as potential targets should Biden decide to follow through. President Joe Biden has already threatened to cut off Ethiopia’s preferential trade access to pressure Abiy’s government to negotiate-and could go further with reports indicating he will soon impose sanctions based on a September executive order. Embassy staff joined that list, with the State Department authorizing voluntary departures for nonessential workers and their families. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has also voiced his concern, saying the “fighting must stop” in a statement.Īs Feltman pursues talks in Ethiopia, his fellow citizens have been advised to leave. envoy for the Horn of Africa, arrived in Ethiopia on Thursday for talks with Abiy aimed at securing a cease-fire. While tensions increase, leaders are calling for calm.

In Addis Ababa, house-to-house searches have increased as the government rounds up male ethnic Tigrayan residents, raising fears of violent backlash against the ethnic group regardless of their political allegiances. The OLA, TPLF, and several other ethnic-based resistance groups are expected to formally announce a military and political alliance today to “establish a transitional arrangement in Ethiopia,” according to the Associated Press. The Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), a group allied with the TPLF in opposition to the central government, claimed to be just 15 miles from the capital, but on-the-ground reporting didn’t support the assertion. The TPLF is now only 160 miles from the capital, Addis Ababa, as it battled government forces on Thursday. International calls for a cease-fire in Ethiopia’s widening civil war grew louder on Thursday as Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) forces and their allies exerted more pressure on Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

Shadow of war fortress upgrades