Ethiopian PM begins 2nd term saying war exacts ‘heavy price’

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has begun a second five-year term running a country in the grip of a nearly year-long war against Tigray forces who he describes as “hateful” toward the nation. A handful of visiting African leaders is urging him to hold things together. Abiy told the inauguration crowd that the Tigray conflict “has made us pay a heavy price.” And he bristled at international pressure as concerns grow over the human toll of the war, saying “there are those who showed us their true friendship and those who betrayed us.” He didn’t name names.