Ethiopia’s rebellious Tigrayan forces have joined up with an Oromo force also fighting the central government, a spokesperson for the Tigrayan forces said on Monday, and said they were considering marching on the capital, APA reports quoting Reuters.

Reuters could not independently verify the statement as phone connections in the area were down. Government spokesperson Legesse Tulu, a military spokesperson, and an Amhara regional spokesperson did not respond immediately to requests for comment.

The forces from the northern region of Tigray say they have pushed further south into the neighbouring Amhara region this week in a bid to pressurise the central government to meet their demands, although the government disputes how far they have advanced.

If Tigrayan fighters join up with rebellious forces from Oromiya, Ethiopia’s most populous region, it could strengthen their ability to threaten the capital, a move that would deepen the conflict in Africa’s second most populous nation and increase turmoil in a volatile region.

“We have linked up with the OLF/OLA and if achieving our objectives in Tigray will require that we march to Addis Ababa, we will. But we are not saying we are marching to Addis Ababa,” Getachew Reda, a spokesperson for the forces led by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), told Reuters.

Source: Azeri-Press News Agency