we had adopted when. however, for him with the move should be endorsed by the freedom and change coalitions. as i said, we were left with 3 scenario. freedom and chase coalition, endorsing the dissolution of the government, which was next to impossible. the 2nd was the move we had taken, and the 3rd was the collapse of our country. we adopted the best option available, as we made the right decision from our perspective. and at the same time prevented the collab. and thousands of people in sit on have been back out on the streets honoring those killed in recent demonstrations. they're also renewing their demands for full civilian government. security forces cleared some of them with a gas bill and 50 people who died off to fire and smoke filled a russian mind in siberia. some rescuers are among the dead. 285 people were in the mind when the emergency started early on thursday. most managing to get out. britain and france calling for a coordinated response to some people smuggling across the english channel. you ministers, when advice to paris for an emergency meeting, a se 27 refugees and migrants drowned off the northern french coast while trying to reach the u. k. report into allegations of abuse committees under the form of gambia and president. ja, jamie, has recommended criminal charges. the truth reconciliation and reparations commission handed the report to john, a successor. these heading claims of state sanctioned torture, rape, and death squads. those are your headlines. the news continues here on our to see her after inside story more news on this channel in 30 minutes. i'll see you soon. bye bye. ah. tension is growing in a feel, pierre, to ryan rebels. are they all? i say they're advancing towards the capital. prime minister has joined the battlefield and many countries have told their citizens to leave so well addis ababa for and what would that mean for a few p as future? this is inside story. ah hello, welcome to the program. i'm hashem, abala. if you'll be as year long conflict in the north is whitening to engulf it's a $115000000.00 people in a civil war. hundreds of volunteers are being listed to join the fight. they encouraged by prime minister abbey, i am at announcing who will leave the battle against a rebel alliance from the front lines. international and regional leaders are calling for a cease fire to allow a political solution. but even with thousands of people killed by the conflict, both sides are beating the drums of war. the roots of the conflicts between the national army and rebels intake re go back decades. the to grey people's liberation front or to peer laugh dominated ethiopian politics for nearly 30 years, despite its members making up just 6 percent of the population. but that changed when prime minister avia hammer took power in 2018. the t p a laugh rejected his attempt to centralize government and unite ethnic base political parties. and soon after tea, gray and rebels were shoes of attack and an army base in the north. and the prime minister sent in the army says, november last year, the to peer laugh and other groups, how falls and allies against prime minister abbey a hammered. and now they say, they have their eyes on the capitol, addis ababa? ah, we will talk to our guess in a moment, but 1st let's go to czar. dig albert aha. his therapy as minister for democratization, and he joins us from addis ababa. bethesda eric, thank you for joining us. prime minister abbey armored is in the fall line, leaving the fight against a growing forces. could you give us a sense of what's happening on the ground? and the federal government is when new streaming collision and dean's office line in order forms are they are and was in commanders are in disarray, following our claims to serve decision to resolve me from the for class that it was in the water harkwriter saw things are to lead by the day or is it think something reverses the tires on our site and it is moving big down. when you say that the tide is on your side. the, the rebel said that the capture the crucial area on the main quarry door, which is leading to the capita about 200 kilometers from addis ababa. and that is just about a matter of time before the take control of the capital. this does not seem to be good news for your army. i live for pain. there is simply a wish list and and then i've been there which is a day for 4 or 4. there was a whole then we can probably just depending on any ration the leader to start losing a big time on the receipt. and if you have, if you happen to have india on the ground, you could have witnesses better. so this is changing by the date, the following types of decision to drain. i mean on the front 9 things are changing . so the idea of capturing has only been changing into it into the un cheap and the u. s. special old voice of the horn of africa have been basically saying that all the parties need to stop the fighting and give diplomacy a chance. do you believe that this is still possible, a diplomatic way out of the crisis in if you're up here, the government will be yoga, has not problems said settling any differences between the problem is it is killing us citizens. and the way things happen when the crimes against humanity out of been committed, the idea of hitting the defense diplomatic. i mean it simply i mean this was on the ground. it all seem to be pretty much happy with the latest statements made by many leaders from the international committee barrier critical of addis ababa in a way or another. we are kind of worried that we believe that critical will come to the will coming from the name from the lacking information. we'll wait for them with enough information. so that the base of the listing combination, those that are trying to port back us head on. so that it was going to show katie, if i didn't after the rest of the international committee, we believe history is on our side times on our side. where on the right we are fighting for the vehicles that have been then taken integrity, the nation to be here of counseling and that we need to come up with, you know, you have the minister of for democratization. so basically the man in charge of reaching out to the different voices of the country to bring about a vibrant democracy in the country. the people at the normal liberation army are saying that instead of reaching out and building bridges with the communities, i'm a chose to consolidate his grip on power. and that he is, he could be anything but a unifying figure. and if you help you that's that's put on line government, the one that political business is government get a lot of and number of laws with one in one and this government, 197.8 percent of the seed but to share its power with a number of polishing ross, ranging from district level to the government. now they will position the member's needing figures in their position. have that there is no reason under the sun to be said government when it comes to the government having to use a free form that has really changed a position when it comes with a one of the vision is right to make it any positive thing to be mentioned about the government in the democratic vision. vatike, a prime minister about a year ago said that the campaign in the gray area is going to be just a matter of a short trip before everything is settled a year later. the tier p l f. along with the auto mall liberation army out on the verge of capturing huge territory. and if you help you with, we're now in an in a position what is going to be difficult to defeat them? are you willing, at a moment to consider power sharing deal with all the different military factions operating in the field? first, that are from this in this war? and we have down, we will have stopped much of the way push them back in, in 4 runs, talking about one forms. so if you want to see the picture, the bigger picture of this war, what, what are we having said that, you know, for the 1st time, any one's on the pilot becoming a democracy. we believe anything that comes to the mother will not be a way to do it to, to make it a, keep their essentially a dream which is making your democracy. so power sharing this room can only you can only be $24.00 with them in that's what it is. i'm thinking for this government short of power with those that are that are kidding people that are trying to be impossible miss that to her feel p has been so for democratization. thank you very much indeed for your time. and now the time for our guests in london, martin plot fellow university of london's institute of commonwealth studies in amsterdam. jerry kissed us giblet philosophy researcher and managers thought com website document in the war in to greg martin. you might not listen to the european melissa for democratization. is basically saying that absolutely no way to negotiate with a t p. how do you see the the crisis moving forward, particularly with the army suffering major setbacks over the last few weeks? well, i thought what he told you was very interesting. i mean the 2 points that he made which are worth recalling. one is that he said that prime minister abbey won an election with 97.8 percent of the vote. i mean, do you know any genuine democracy, democratic election that has ever been won by that kind of number? i mean it's it, that it alone should tell you that there was something wrong with the lp, but he pointed out was that they have pushed back the 2 grand on for france. and we're only talking about one front. but that in itself is extremely important. statement because i mean, i think it is accurate, not necessarily pushing them back, but that there are 5 fronts. i mean, for the firm in the military to be have to contend with 5 separate fronts that are advancing towards it. or even if that they're holding them is extremely difficult. and i think that that indicates just how hard it is for the military at the moment . just because this is quite interesting, the spectacular rise of the t p f over this year in particular. and one of the question is basically, how did they manage to outperform out flank one of the best trained armies in the african continent? well, let's look a little bit into how the war started. so the military was 1st de capacity bedded by removing that, the grand members of the defense forces were talking about 70000 members of different forces. these where capacity leaders and de remove them from their different forces at the beginning of the. ready war and then they came to to try and integrate by the grand forces, withdrew to demand, and they viewed the army and they designated huge the vision of the media. and dan dot gave that the grand forces a lot of exercise if you will. and also a lot of weapons and ammunition and we dug, they marched forward. and remember that this, if you can forces have basically, they haven't been told why they are even fighting. and they have very different inter they fight among each other. for example, the fight we the, if you're again, different forces directly our forces have other interest. there was a fight sometimes. so it's just a huge assemblage of forces that share are almost no common goal. and i think that's why they are being defeated in almost all fronts. martin, do you think that the involvement of the rhetoric army of the conflict was a turning point in the sense that he had a rally. the anti stablish meant anti at the opium army, anti rectory and sentiment among the tig. ryan's well, it wasn't just the involvement of the era trends in the actual fighting and you're absolutely right. i mean, the 2 grands were hit from the north by the era trans, and by the, from the east, and from the south by the ethiopian army, and the am hora militia, plus a 4 course. don't forget, they will also somali troops, perhaps 3 to 5000 troops that also participated. there was a huge involvement and got really interesting. now, is that president of worky, the leader of area, is not involved in the war any more. now he could launch his, his military, which are still encamped along the northern part of to grey integrate. and that would relieve the pressure enormously on prime minister abbey, who is apparently on the front line. although we have seen no images of him on the front line fighting in the battles that his army are conducting. now, if he did that, if the error transit became really involved again, might change the shape of this war. but at the moment, it's not to focus just do you think that the fight over this strategic corridor, which is a vital lifeline for the sub, about 200 kilometers from the capitol, could be decisive in a way or another. it could be the way for the rebels to take over the country. on the other hand, it could pave the way for be am i to reverse all the gains for the t p l f. where that could change? i think a lot, but i don't think it's i mean it has other options as well. so it definitely is a big change if they capture it and i don't know their efforts towards capturing that. i think there have been attempts. but let's remember that the region is a very horse time slot area, not suited for the type of warfare that, that the grant is good at. but i think the just following the highland in so far, i think we have to remember that when they have a completion is, are incredible. let's remember what the minister was saying. you know, this is going to be kind of like, you know, fine i thing and they were a snit by the grand forces. and there's nothing new here because they had been saying the same thing when they were in to guy when they were in one dia and when they were in the most strategic cities of dusty and composure and they have been defeated. so i think i, i don't know what the government or strategy here is, and i don't know why abby thinks that he can change things by going to the front. ok. and we like martin saying, we don't know if he's in the front. i think it's also possible to suspect as of things, you know, any of your guys, there's a tradition of, you know, taking leaders as copies or like you put them in a half hours. and it is a slow, a tradition of slow, a cool. as we remember from the emperor, so i think we can also suspect other things, but it's, it's really clear. or it's, i think, reasonable to assume that the government has lost the war and is just in its final desperate a ditch toward us. you know, changing the advisors, but i don't see a future. ok for them in this martin entire army divisions were completely decimated in the past few months. the t p l f is battle hardened fighters her since 1975. they been on the ground. they were key players in overthrowing the government in 91 and the rest was history. they were basically involved in every aspect of political security and military life in ethiopia. could they be the realization that should happen now within the establishment and abby that in particular the is absolutely no way to move forward or have this in a few years without that it be it i or though remain a minority. you're absolutely right to point out that this as an issue. i mean, at the end of the day, the 2 grants are not going anywhere. if you is not going to move into a new area, so it is absolutely vital that in the end all conflict and in negotiations, the question is what the terms of those negates negotiations will be. and they asked to be some kind of settlement that involved not just the, the 2 grounds, but the aroma and all the other nationalities that make up which make it such an extra re, rich, diverse, and wonderful country. and you know, some kind of settlement has to be achieved, but they are really only 2 visions on, on offer. there's the old imperial vision. we says that there's one country and everybody's in ethiopia. and who cares about the nationality? there's the other option which was offered by the 2 grands which says we are over a federation of ethnicities. and those are the 2 basic positions that everybody falls into in the end. and, you know, prime prime minister abbey started, should we say in one position and move towards the old imperial position. and i don't know how this is going to be resolved. in the end, it has to be resolved by the people of ethiopia. there's nobody else that can do it . they have to learn each other. jabber christ as do you think that the alliance between the t p l f and the overall more liberation army. the i lay is tactical. just to defeat avia had it could turn into something strategic that could reach out to different communities in the near future to build a new front against a be a habit. i think it is. it's both. i believe this 2 organizations are have a history and a relationship that good dates back, you know, to really dig a go for the only problem is that they had a very bad relationship with the bill. if was part of the, if you abby of coalition, unless this body relationship gets in the way, i think they are very much related in how they view, ethiopia, they are federal. is this the or comfort analysis? so this really, if they move from that type of, you know, acrimony, i think there's a chance that they can afford a stronger ideas and they can bring a lot of as a groups in ethiopia. let's remember that abby am it has a very small days or so. he has made it impossible. you know, for this a different ethnic groups and political groups express themselves. he has only support in the oven at d. s. and the american. i don't think he has my support in other area. so these 2 organizations have a huge potential in bringing, you know, all these groups in the rest of it towards this federal con, federal type of view and vision for it. martin, this is a conflict that could lead to the disintegration of if you appear, if it continues for a longer period. and yet you get the sense that the international community, the americas in particular, don't seem to be really willing to move forward aggressively to bring all the parties to the day she had a settlement. what more would you expect them to do? i mean, they have threatened sanctions against the view and they've already brought in sanctions against the error trends. i mean, they're not going to put troops on the ground except to evacuate their own stuff from the embassy. i didn't really see what, what else the united states could do. they worked incredibly hard. prison biden have made this one of these really a major priority fame way beyond anything that president trump did. and you know, at the end of the day i'm, i'm still hopeful that you will be able to hold together of the country. there were voices in washington that said that it could disintegrate. i think that is not particularly likely unit be against the everything that the african union se down for. and while it's entirely up to the people of, of, of ethiopia, to grey or mia everywhere to make up their own mind. it's not far outside them. how to after i, you know, contradict hard work. i think that if you will survive, but that's just the gut instinct. and based on looking at the path, maybe it worked jevar cases. what do you think would be the condition that would bring all the fashions to accept a political settlement? but i think we are, you know, in a new chapter here, what i think should happen is, and also what the government has offered is that there would be an interim government. if the i b as in forward, they have always offered it, you know, nobody shaded sentiment, but it has refuse it. but after the fall, they are thinking of forming an enter in government and then bringing all political parties or interest groups in ethiopia to deliberate on the future of the country. and i think this is what we can expect here is that if you're honest with the ever do all the different nations and, and groups in ethiopia will have the chance to really express their vision for it. yep. yeah. and on that basis, i think the future if we get there, can be decided. but there is here a little bit of a difference. i think to grade will be a will, will demand a different treatment. to gripe believes or a genocide has been committed, are appointed to grant people and i think a referendum will be caught on to guy on ways to guy will continue. is it your p r or not? that is what i believe so. so that, that i'm ok, so this new chapter will decide the future of europe and all events in the future will decide the outcome of what happens in a therapy at martin 2018 people thought that this young man i met, would generate momentum. take the nation into a new uncharted territory. now the sentiment is that his reputation has been severely dented by this conflict to the point where many think that his presence with just continued to further undermine stability in a therapy are to you. that of you. i think that he is finished. i don't think that there's much case for him continuing to play a major role. he's. he's made huge errors. i mean, you, you pointed to what he said, right? the beginning of the war, this would be a short policing operation. it would be over in a couple of weeks. he's made a huge areas. you know, frankly, the nobel peace prize was a ridiculous price to give him at that stage. but, you know, maybe the power has already actually transferred to the deputy prime minister. and maybe he is the real power in the land. now we just don't know. and you know, we'll have to see in the next few, few days and weeks walk the walk. what turns out, but the other priority that we haven't mentioned is absolutely vital aid gets to great. there are hundreds of thousands of people that are on the edge of starvation that cannot be allowed to happen. martin plot job request us just a really appreciate your insight. thank you. and thank you to for watching. you can see the program. i got any time by visiting our website. i was just, you know, the com for further discussion was our facebook page. that's facebook dot com, forward slash ha inside story. can also join the conversation on twitter. i'll 100 is a james. i story from the hash about about on the entire team here in don't like ah, a december hollow, jessia, feita hose, the fever, arab cut, a momentous event for the region and a glimpse of what's in store for the 2022 world cup people in power investigates the use and abuse of power across the globe. a well exclusive interview with joint nobel peace, lori if recognize the safeguarding freedom of expression as a precondition for democracy and lasting peace from shore. documentaries too. in depth explain this portal showcase is the best. the vouchers, era's digital content as the year draws to a close, we look back at the events that have shaped the news and look ahead to next year. december on a jesse europe. if america held up a mirror to itself, what would it see in a sense, race is the story of america what's working and what's not? a lot of people are only talking about that. it wasn't at the top of the agenda. if america can't handle multiple challenges on multiple fronts, we need to go back to school. the bottom line when i get there, i'm, ah, hello again, peter toby and joe hall with your top stories from al jazeera versus sciences, the describing a new cobit 19 variance identified in southern africa as the most concerning they have seen yet the u. k. health security agency says it has mutations that could make it spread, and in fact, people more easily. it adds that the various spike protein is dramatically different to the original corona virus that covered 19 vaccines are based on the south african sciences say they've detected the variant in small.