Ethiopia's Olympic legends Gebrselassie, Lilesa ready to join war front

Ethiopian Olympic legends Haile Gebrselassie and Feyisa Lilesa say they are ready to join the army to go to the battlefront  against Tigray forces.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Monday announced that he will be leading the war in front.

"Starting tomorrow, I will mobilise to the front to lead the defence forces,” Abiy, winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, said in a statement posted on Twitter.

Ahmed called on patriotic Ethiopians  to join him in at the  battle front to  combat against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

“The time necessitates leading the nation through martyrdom. To this end, I will march to the battlefield from tomorrow onwards to lead our defense forces,” Ahmed said in his call to the nation.

 “Those who want to be among the Ethiopian children who will be hailed by history, rise up for your country today. Let’s meet at the front.”

Tigray rebels say they are advancing towards the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

Lilesa,a long-distance runner become famous for his protest at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games for crossing his wrist over his head showing anger against how the government was treating the Oromo people.

The war erupted in November 2019 in Tigray region between forces loyal to the TPLF and the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF).