Ethiopia's Nobel Peace Prize-winning Prime Minister has gone to the battlefront to take charge in a yearlong war as rival fighters approach the capital, his Government announced Wednesday.
State media showed no images of Abiy Ahmed, a 45-year-old former soldier, and his spokeswoman Billene Seyoum dismissed a request for details on his location as “incredible.”
He arrived at the front Tuesday, according to a government spokesman.
Tens of thousands of people have died in the war between Ethiopian federal and allied troops and fighters from the country's Tigray region. The prospect of the ancient nation breaking apart has alarmed both Ethiopians and observers who fear what would happen to the often turbulent Horn of Africa at large.
Countries including France, Germany and Turkey have told their citizens to leave immediately.
Abiy's trajectory from winning the Nobel just two years ago to now potentially heading into battle has shocked many.