ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA • Ethiopia’s military is planning to enter the Tigray regional capital of Mekelle and “eliminate” rebellious forces, a top military official said late on Friday amid diplomatic efforts to end conflict in the country’s north.

The Horn of Africa country has been gripped by war for more than a year, with the federal military and its allies battling forces loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, the political party that controls Tigray.

This week two top U.S. diplomats flew into Addis Ababa to push for a ceasefire, trying to build on tentative signs of a thaw in relations between warring parties, including the release of political prisoners.

In an interview with state-affiliated media outlet Fana broadcast late on Friday, Ethiopian Defense Forces deputy army chief General Abebaw Tadesse said the country would not be at peace until the TPLF was eliminated.

“Tigray is part of Ethiopia and no force will stop us from entering. We will enter and we will eliminate the enemy. There shouldn’t be any confusion about this,” he said. —