Ethiopian PM rejects ‘interference’

Addis Ababa: Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Wednesday said he rejected international "interference" in Ethiopia’s affairs, hours before a deadline for Tigray’s rebellious leaders to surrender or face an assault on their capital.

Abiy, the winner of last year’s Nobel Prize, late Sunday gave the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) 72 hours to surrender -- an ultimatum rejected by the leader of the dissident northern region, who has said his people are "ready to die" for their homeland.

As the clock ticked down, the UN Security Council held its first meeting on the three-week old crisis, with particular concern for civilians in the regional capital Mekele.