TEHRAN - Tens of thousands of Ethiopians have hit the streets in Addis Ababa to support Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government as federal troops battle rebel fighters, the Tigray People's Liberation Front, who have been reported to be threatening to march on the capital city.

The demonstrators denounced the United States, one of the foreign powers that analysts say stands accused of supporting the rebels in a conflict, that has intensified in the past week. One placard read "Shame on you USA,” while another said the United States should stop "sucking Ethiopia's blood.”

37-year-old Tigist Lemma told media outlets "[the U.S.] want to destroy our country like they did to Afghanistan. They will never succeed, we are Ethiopians.” Many of those gathered for the rally in Meskel Square in Addis Ababa wrapped themselves in the national flag.

Other protesters voiced their anger at a U.S. demand for the government and Tigray People's Liberation
Front rebels, who are accused of war crimes and have made advances over the past week to negotiate. In June, Prime Minister Abiy's party won a landslide victory in the elections. 

The mayor of Addis Ababa, Adanech Abiebe, addressed the protesters citing the country’s history putting up resistance against colonial powers.

A year ago, the conflict in the north of the country erupted when fighters loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front took over military bases in the Tigray region. In response, Abiy sent in the army, which managed to drive the Tigray People's Liberation Front out of the regional capital, Mekelle.  However, since June this year reports have emerged of the militia group making territorial gains against the government troops.

The Ethiopian government has designated Tigray People's Liberation Front as a terrorist organization who has defied Abiy's authority. 

On Tuesday, U.S. President Joe Biden's administration accused Ethiopia of "gross violations" of human rights and plans to remove the country from a U.S. trade pact.

Ethiopian officials have accused the international community of ignoring abuses and crimes committed by the militia group.

There are now fears of further bloodshed after reports emerged of Ethiopian opposition factions forming a new alliance with the stated goal of bringing down Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed by force or negotiation before forming its own transitional government. 

The government, already engaged in a year-long conflict with the rebel fighters in the north has dismissed the alliance as a stunt and accused some members of violence against ethnic groups in the past. 

Despite calls from African countries for a nationwide ceasefire, the alliance was announced by faction leaders, as federal troops battle the northern-based Tigray People's Liberation Front and its allies. 

In a sign of the seriousness of the matter, on Friday state media said the Ethiopian army had called on former personnel to rejoin the military and fight the rebels reportedly threatening to move on the capital Addis Ababa. Under a state of emergency declared on Tuesday, the government can also call up people of military age to undergo training and accept military duties.

The United States has advised its nationals to leave the country as soon as possible. In a statement the U.S. embassy said "The security environment in Ethiopia is very fluid" 

The UN Security Council, the African Union, Kenya and Uganda have also called for a ceasefire in the conflict that has killed thousands of people. 

However, Abiy's government, which has pledged to keep fighting, said it had a responsibility to secure the country and urged foreign powers to stand with Ethiopia's democracy. On Sunday, the government-appointed Ethiopian Human Rights Commission said the authorities appeared to be using a state of emergency declared on Tuesday to detain people “based on ethnic identity.”

Nobel Peace Prize winner Abiy Ahmed‘s government acknowledges it has detained a small number of high-level Tigrayan military officials.

A Police spokesperson has also denied that the arrests were ethnically motivated, saying those detained are "directly or indirectly" backing the Tigray People's Liberation Front, an outlawed party that was once part of Ethiopia's government.

The conflict has killed thousands of people, forced more than two million from their homes and left 400,000 people in the northern Tigray region, which has witnessed the brunt of the fighting, facing famine.

The United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Sunday the UN aid Chief Martin Griffiths travelled to Mekelle and met women affected by the fighting as well as humanitarian partners. 
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said he "engaged with de facto authorities on the need for humanitarian access and protection of civilians through all areas under their control, and respect for humanitarian principles."

Many media outlets have been unable to independently confirm the extent of the Tigray People's Liberation
Front advance in the country. The Tigray People's Liberation Front and their allies told media outlets last week they were 325 km (200 miles) from the capital.

The government accuses the group of exaggerating its territorial gains. The government has also complained about foreign media coverage of the conflict and some people at the anti U.S. rally held signs denouncing "fake news" in Ethiopia.

Writing on social media, Abiy's spokesperson said "orchestrated media propaganda against Ethiopia is escalating... Despite it all Ethiopia will overcome!"

It’s not just Ethiopia that has been angered by America’s interference in the conflict. In June Eritrea’s foreign minister blamed U.S. administrations that supported the Tigray People’s Liberation Movement for the last 20 years for the current war in northern Ethiopia's Tigray region, saying that America blaming Eritrea for the fighting was unfounded.

Osman Saleh, in a letter to the UN Security Council, accused President Joe Biden’s administration of “stoking further conflict and destabilization" through interference and intimidation in the region. He said “The apparent objective of these acts is to resuscitate the remnants of the Tigray People’s Liberation Movement regime.” 

The Eritrean foreign minister accused the Tigray People’s Liberation Movement of conducting a disinformation campaign to camouflage its illicit schemes to arm itself and topple Abiy’s government and he urged the Security Council “to take appropriate measures to redress the injustice.”

The Tigray People's Liberation Front led the coalition that ruled Ethiopia for nearly three decades until Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed rose to power in 2018. Abiy alienated the Tigray People's Liberation Front to make peace with the country’s then archenemy and northern neighbor Eritrea.

The government forces are now allied with armed forces from neighboring Eritrea to help contain the violence. 

Saleh also criticized the U.S. State Department’s recent announcement on visa restrictions for current or former Eritrean and Ethiopian government and military officials, saying it was only the latest in a string of “unilateral acts of intimidation and interference.” against two sovereign nations. 

Earlier this year, the United States imposed restrictions on economic and security assistance to Ethiopia over alleged human rights abuses during the conflict in Tigray region. Washington will also bar current or former Ethiopian government officials it considers responsible for the crisis. However, Washington has not done the same or taken any action against the rebellious forces in the north. 

Analysts have noted that the conflict in Ethiopia, which has spilt into neighboring countries, is another example of accusations against the U.S. that wherever there is instability in the world, Washington’s finger prints can be found lying around somewhere.