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Ethiopian envoy in Russia slams reports on rebels’ surrounding Addis Ababa as fake news

Ethiopian Ambassador to Moscow said that "the actions of the antigovernmental groups are "useless and helpless"

MOSCOW, November 6. /TASS/. The reports saying that Addis Ababa is surrounded by antigovernmental forces are fake news spread by western countries, Ethiopian Ambassador to Moscow Alemayehu Tegenu Aargau told TASS on Saturday.

"Addis Ababa is not surrounded by any forces. Those are fake news from western countries," the diplomat said, also referring to the information on the capture of the city of Shewa Robit by the militants of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) spread by Tigray's media outlets as fake reports.

The actions of the antigovernmental groups, whose representatives held a press conference in Washington on Friday, as media reported, are "useless and helpless," the ambassador said. "It [the agreement on creation of an alliance for struggling against the central government of Ethiopia - TASS] has been planned by Ethiopia’s enemies and will not be valid. The democratically elected government of Ethiopia is keen to ensure peace and stability in the country. Ethiopian citizens are ready to protect their country," he emphasized.

Agence France-Presse reported on November 5 that nine major Ethiopian rebel groups signed an agreement on the creation of an alliance for struggling against the central government. According to the report, the step is aimed at pooling forces for a possible attack on the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported that rebels’ representatives held a press conference in Washington on Friday. They claimed that the target of the new integration of antigovernmental forces consisting of nine rebel groups is to strip the current government of the country of its authority and create a transitional government.

According to information from South African military circles, fighters from the Tigray People's Liberation Front and the Oromo Liberation Army could have joined up with each other on November 1 near the town of Kamisee (Kemise) controlled by the Oromo Liberation Army after Tigray rebels had come close to the towns of Harbu and Bati, 350 kilometers north of Addis Ababa.

In August, the leaders of the Tigray People's Liberation Front and the Oromo Liberation Army signed an agreement on joint actions against Ethiopia's government in order to overthrow it. The Oromo Liberation Army is the military wing of the Oromo Liberation Front. The group's leaders seek the independence of Oromia, Ethiopia's most densely populated region.