Surrender deadline looms in Ethiopia's Tigray
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has warned the international community to stay out of his country's internal affairs as the deadline for regional forces in Tigray to surrender approaches.
Hundreds have been killed since fighting began on November 4 and more than 41,000 have escaped the violence to Sudan.
Tanks and artillery reportedly surround Tigray's capital, where Abiy is threatening a "final push" if the region's ruling TPLF does not lay down its arms by Wednesday evening (November 25).
Three former African presidents are due to arrive in Addis Ababa as envoys from the African Union, and the European Union's foreign policy chief warned that the conflict is destabilizing the wider region.
They add to a chorus of international voices that have been urging restraint and mediation.
But in a statement on Wednesday, Abiy said that while Ethiopia welcomes the "well-meaning concerns" of our friends, the country rejects what he called "unwelcome and unlawful" interference in "our internal affairs".
