New York

01 February 2022

Secretary-General's Press Encounter on Ethiopia

António Guterres, Secretary-General

The people of Ethiopia continue to suffer greatly from ongoing conflict and bloodshed.  
  
For millennia, the tradition of the Olympic Truce has called on all parties, everywhere, to stop hostilities throughout the course of the Games. 
  
As I prepare to leave for the Winter Olympics, I make the strongest possible appeal for all parties in Ethiopia for an immediate cessation of hostilities. 
 
And this can allow for effective humanitarian access and relief to all affected populations throughout Ethiopia.  
  
And these actions will help pave the way to a much-needed inclusive national dialogue involving all Ethiopians. 
  
I reiterate my appeal to all parties to follow the finest tradition of the Olympic spirit to save lives, overcome differences and find the path to real peace. 
 
Thank you. 
  
Q: Secretary-General, yet another coup, in Guinea-Bissau. What is your reaction? 
 
Secretary-General: We don’t know yet the details of what is happening. It is, for us, clear that coups are totally unacceptable. We are seeing a terrible multiplication of coups, and our strong appeal is for soldiers to go back to the barracks and for the constitutional order to be fully in place in the democratic context of today’s Guinea-Bissau.