ADDIS ABABA, 03 December 2021, (TON): The UN aid chief warned “Ethiopia risks descending into sectarian violence and experiencing a chaotic Kabul-style exodus if the year-long conflict spreads to the capital Addis Ababa.”

In an interview, Martin Griffiths expressed deep concern for the stability of a nation of 115 million people composed of more than 80 ethnic groups.

Griffiths, the UN undersecretary for humanitarian affairs, said the conflict in Ethiopia has sparked perhaps the world’s most worrying humanitarian crisis.

He warned that a battle in the capital Addis Ababa and increasing communal violence could worsen the situation “exponentially.”

Humanitarian organizations have been scrambling to respond to soaring needs in Ethiopia, and laying contingency plans in case the crisis deepens.

Griffiths said “the worst I think from a humanitarian perspective (would be) if there is a battle for Addis or turmoil around there, leading to increased communal violence across the country.”

“If that were to happen, we’re facing something I don’t think we have faced before for many, many years: We’re facing a fracture … of the fabric of Ethiopia.”

The chaos flowing from such a situation would be far worse than what has happened in the last 13 months.

Thousands of people have been killed, two million displaced and hundreds of thousands driven into famine-like conditions since the conflict erupted in November 2020, according to UN estimates.