Ethiopia’s Oromo celebrate Irreecha and call for peace as federal forces enter Mekelle

Tens of thousands of Oromo gathered in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa on Saturday to celebrate the thanksgiving festival of Irreecha. The gathering took place amid reports that federal forces had entered Mekelle, the capital of the northern region of Tigray.

Participants used the occasion to call for peace.

"Even though peace has been disturbed in the past years, the Oromo are now celebrating Irreecha beautifully, but there are wars in various places,"said student Simert Ababa.

"I say that needs to be stabilised as much as possible, and this government has a role in that. Children should not miss their education, mothers should not be harmed, children should not be harmed."

Fears of renewed conflict between the government and Tigrayan rebels have been mounting for weeks. Fighting erupted 10 days ago as Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) launched attacks on neighbouring states. 



"For those in the north, create an agreement so the war stops," said Bilise Mohammed, who's also a student. "To the government and to those who are fighting, peace comes first. The people are the ones that are dying, this won’t take you anywhere. The people are dying and are being harmed."

Tigrayan forces have reportedly left Mekelle but on Thursday their leader implied they would continue guerrilla-style attacks as they did when the city fell to government forces in 2020.



Merchant Carra Mekonen, merchant said the country wants peace:

"I want everyone to agree, whether in Ethiopia or Oromia. I want us to live freely everywhere, regardless of the borders, from Wollega (in Oromia) to Tigray and the Amhara region, so that we can go about our business as usual.”

Breakdown in relations

The conflict has triggered a breakdown in Ethiopia's relations with Eritrea and Egypt, which Ethiopia accuses of supporting the rebels.

Ethiopia expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats and shut its embassy in Asmara on Thursday, while Eritrea responded that it would "sever all diplomatic ties.”

Eritrea accuses landlocked Ethiopia of planning to invade and seize access to its coastline. The TPLF's Debretsion said in his video message that "the war is regional and it is a war to control the Red Sea.”

Ethiopia also expelled an Egyptian diplomat without explanation, prompting a reciprocal move by Cairo.

The TPLF ruled all of Ethiopia from 1991 to 2018, when it was marginalised with the rise of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who hails from the Oromia region.

Tensions between Tigray and Addis Ababa erupted in 2020, leading to a devastating two year civil war that killed more than 600,000 people. A 2022 peace deal maintained an uneasy calm until last year, but was never fully implemented.