Tigray: Anti-war march held in South Africa

A few dozen Ethiopians, mostly from Tigray held a demonstration Wednesday calling for more external action on the conflict in their country.

The protest was staged outside the embassies of the United States and the European Union in the South African capital Pretoria.

The demonstrators who were clad in T-shirts bearing the flag of Tigray and waved US flags, also accused Addis Ababa of committing genocide, a claim dismissed by a joint investigation of the United Nations and the Ethiopian human rights commission.

Government forces are battling rebels from Tigray who have threatened to march on the capital.

On Sunday, tens of thousands of people vowed to defend Addis Ababa from a rumored rebel advance at a pro-government rally.

Diplomatic efforts to resolve the one-year conflict picked up pace last week when envoys sent by the African Union and the US met with officials in Addis Ababa and in Mekelle, capital of Tigray.

War broke out last November after forces loyal to the Tigray regional government attacked bases housing federal troops, killing soldiers.