Ethiopians hold pro-government rallies, denounce West

Several towns and cities in Ethiopia have held anti-Western rallies today.

The rallies are believed to have been organized by local governments in support of the federal government's latest offensive in the ongoing war in the Tigray region.

Local government officials and their supporters, attracted hundreds of thousands of people across the country.

One rally goer in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, Selamawit Berihun, said:

"What I want to convey for the west is that we want peace and love. We don't want anyone to die, all people are our people. We do not need anyone's interference, we can manage our country with our own sovereignty."

Many people displayed banners urging the United States to stop supporting the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), while others were purely anti-Western.

This came amid hopes for talks between the Ethiopian government and the TPLF to end the war raging across the region.