this is bbc news. the headlines: thousands of afghans and foreigners remain massed at kabul�*s airport in the hope of fleeing the new taliban regime — before flights are stopped. us defense officials said it would still take several days to fly out the 6,000 troops deployed to secure and run the airlift. the british prime minister is due to chair a virtual meeting of leaders from g7 countries. it's expected he'll ask president biden to delay the withdrawal of american troops from afghanistan. the taliban have warned there'll be "consequences" if the us and its allies extend their presence into september. the iranian government has said it's prepared to ship more fuel to lebanon to ease their continuing energy crisis. the move would be in defiance of a united states embargo

on iranian exports. petrol shortages are paralysing much of lebanon's economy and threatening essential services. now on bbc news, hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. months of conflict in northern ethiopia have cost thousands of lives and brought hunger and fear to millions. late last year, president abiy ahmed's government seemed confident of crushing tigrayan forces. that confidence was misplaced — the war has spread. both the addis government and the rebels stand accused of horrifying war crimes. my guest is ethiopia's attorney—general, gedion timothewos. is his government leading the country to disaster?

gedion timothewos in addis ababa, welcome to hardtalk. thanks for having me. it is a pleasure to have you, mr attorney—general. when we last spoke to each other, nearly nine months ago, you seemed very confident that your government was about to crush the forces of the tigray people's liberation front. are you now prepared to say that your government strategy has gone disastrously wrong? mr sackur, as i started back then we are in a position to retake mekele, and we're able to finalise the initial phase of the operation within a matter of three weeks. we took over mekele, we established an interim administration, we invested in rehabilitating tigray. and remember, it was a conflict that was forced upon us. it was not a conflict

that we got into by our own volition and willingness, so that's how we see the situation. we, you haven't answered my question, because since then — and your forces did take mekele — since then things have gone very wrong. yourforces left mekele injune, and since then the tplf — the tigrayan rebel forces have retaken much of tigray from your national army, but they've also moved into the neighbouring regions of amhara and afar. they hold much more territory now, so what �*s gone wrong? when we were holding mekele and when our forces were in tigray, there were constant issues that were being raised about

the humanitarian access, the humanitarian situation. we wanted to improve the humanitarian situation, and we were also concerned by the fact that the tplf was sending wave after wave of civilians against our troops. there was an extensive use of child soldiers by the tplf. under these circumstances, to mitigate and minimise the humanitarian cost and suffering, we did the responsible thing — we declared a unilateral ceasefire and we withdraw troops from mekele. unfortunately, they tplf continued with its aggression and its belligerence and escalated the conflict. they've expanded it into afar and amhara regional state, committing atrocities against civilians. well, we will get to the issue of gross atrocities

in a minute, but you tell me that you are concerned about the humanitarian situation. it's very hard for me to understand then why, to this very day, you and your government are maintaining a siege, a blockade of tigray, which involves cutting off electricity, telecommunications, banking and financial services? something which the un and other aid agencies say is materially affecting hundreds of thousands — millions of people. when we declared the humanitarian unilateral ceasefire, we start with humanitarian corridor through afar. it was the tplf, the tplf that expanded the conflict and turned this corridor into a conflict zone. but why don't you — why don't you end the blockade, mr attorney—general? as i said, we had facilitated humanitarian access in corridor through afar. now, as far as electricity and other essential services are concerned, the utility companies, the corporations that provide these services, they had several of the personnel killed in tigray while they were trying to repair basic infrastructure.

they have been subject to attacks, so under the existing insecurity, the continued aggression of the tplf, it could have been a difficult for these corporations to send their personnel, their employees, in tigray. so, if the tplf reciprocated the unilateral ceasefire, then it would have been a different circumstance but. as far as the tigrayans are concerned — and i did speak to a tigrayan spokesperson very recently — you will know that they believe that there is no way they can end their armed struggle until you end the blockade, and there's no sign of it ending. there are also worrying signs that your government seized

the international aid agencies, the ngos that are trying to deliver help to hundreds of thousands of people who are facing famine in tigray. you appear to see them as part of the problem. 0ne government spokesman, redwan hussein, recently referred to aid groups as, "playing a destructive role" — what's that supposed to mean? that is only a reference to a very small minority of organisations. the overwhelming majority of aid organisations are providing assistance to those in need. we are cooperating with them, we facilitate their work, so we don't have a problem with that. and as i have noted earlier, when we declared the unilateral ceasefire, our objective, our intent was for humanitarian aid to reach the people in tigray without any hindrance. that's why we established the operators from afar. we allowed humanitarian flights to take off from addis and fly to mekele, but the continued aggression from the side of the tplf has created a situation on the ground that is making things more

and more complicated. i think people watching and listening to this conversation are going to find hard to understand that while hundreds of thousands of people in the north of your country are facing the imminent threat of famine, hundreds of thousands have been displaced — are currently living in camps, you in your government have suspended the operations of various aid organisations, including medecins sans frontieres�* holland branch and also the norwegian refugee council. why on earth have you done that? uh, you have to understand that all organisations that provide assistance and aid that operate in our territory have to respect our rules and regulations. as i have mentioned earlier, the overwhelming majority

of humanitarian organisations have no problem with this and they continue to provide assistance and aid. these organisations are trying to keep people alive and you're stopping them operating. uh, that is not the case. there has been administrative measures but these measures are to ensure compliance with appropriate regulations. as i have stated earlier, several organisations, a number in the hundreds, are operating all over the country, providing assistance for those in need. we don't have a problem with them, we're working with them. we have a very constructive relationship. and we're also in consultation, in dialogue these individuals you mentioned, and we believe that we will be able to rectify the violations very soon, and will be able to reinstate their licenses.

you are ethiopia's attorney—general. have you read the report from the university of ghent in belgium that went forensically through lists of people — named individuals who have been killed — civilians who have been killed in the fighting and it tigray? they have come up with 2,562 civilians who died in 232 incidents, which the university of ghent researchers are calling massacres in tigray, over the last several months. have you read that report and what have you done about it? we take all such allegations, all such reports seriously, and we look into it. we conduct investigations, we are committed to ensuring accountability. the government of ethiopia does not condone any such violations and, as we have tried to communicate to the public previously, we have conducted several investigations. there are additional

investigations that are under way — both with the civilian and military tracks — and whenever we identify perpetrators, to the extent we find these kinds of reports credible, we make sure that we take major steps to accountability. amnesty international have released a report this month, again using more than 60 testimonies from eyewitnesses, which they say provides overwhelming evidence of systematic sexual abuse, rape, and other terrible forms of sexual abuse carried out by ethiopian army forces in tigray since the beginning of this conflict. when you talk aboutjustice and accountability, what have you done about that? we are conducting and we have conducted investigations. we have several of our own soldiers responsible. many have been court—martialed.

there are ongoing investigations. these are things we take seriously. we don't condone this type of behaviour, we don't condone these type of human rights violations. but i should point out that some of these reports you have mentioned, there is a tendency to sensationalise, there is a tendency to draw very sweeping conclusions that are not supported by the extent and scope of the investigation. some of them have also adapted methodologies that we think are very flawed. be that as it may, as i have said earlier, both who are civilian track and the military track — we have conducted investigations. i find it hard to believe your government is taking these allegations seriously when one of your own spokespeople described the amnesty international report as nothing

more than a sensational, sensationalised attacks and smears. if you were serious about these terrible allegations, which involve accusations of victims being held in captivity for days and being systematically raped, some being handed over for sexual slavery, some being raped in front of their children. if you took these accusations seriously, you would have dozens and dozens of your armed forces behind bars right now. as i've said, these kinds of matters are matters we take seriously. yes, they could be sensationalised reports and there are sensationalised reports drawing very exaggerated and unsubstantiated conclusions, but we take the victims seriously. we have conducted investigations and more than dozens of our own soldiers have been sentenced to serious, serious penalties — some including to life in prison. how many? more than 30. so, ouractions

speaks for itself. and in addition to this, i want to point out that the ethiopian armed forces are — the ethiopean national defence force is a disciplined fighting force. it is a force that has a long track record of serving under— within the un framework, going back as far as the korean war and in several parts of the continent. its reputation for discipline, for integrity, is there for all to see. i am sorry, mr attorney—general, but if you are telling me more than 30 soldiers have been convicted of the most serious sexual crimes in the course of this conflict over the last few months, there is clearly something much deeper going on. how many senior commanders of the ethiopian military have been fired and held to account for what their men are doing? because this isn'tjust a one

off, this is systematic. if you read the amnesty international report, that is quite plain. we don't agree with their conclusion that this was systematic. they have conducted their report, they investigation remotely. they have relied on what they call "community workers". we are very sceptical of those— who those community workers might be. we conduct our investigations on the ground. and as far as accountability is concerned, our commitment, our seriousness has also been demonstrated by the fact that we are— we have allowed the un high commission for human rights to conduct a joint investigation with the ethiopian human rights commission. only a government that is transparent, that is committed to the highest standards and values would allow it's— would permit this kind of scrutiny.—

a government that is transparent, that is committed to the highest standards and guidance would allow, would permit this type of security. you are right to point to the joint investigation and the un human rights commissioner is involved and she says she takes the amnesty international report very seriously. but there is another profound problem here. you are the attorney general of ethiopia and some of these allegations of the most extreme sexual violence come as allegations directed to eritrean troops operating at the invitation of your government on your territory. you have no ability to deliver justice and accountability for the crimes committed by eritrean troops, do you? regardless of who the perpetrators may be, our responsibility and our position is that we conduct investigations, we establish the facts. if there are individuals who are out of ourjurisdiction there are established protocols to seek international legal

cooperation in collaboration with authorities that have jurisdiction in their countries. so it is a process that is under way and we work with countries on these issues so i think it is too early to jump to conclusions and i say that based on our actions and our conduct so far, our commitment to accountability is very clear. and i must also point out that we are rather disappointed and a bit dismayed by the fact that several atrocities that have been perpetrated by the terrorists against people, including children, is not being denounced, not being looked into by international humanitarian and human rights organisations. if you had watched my interview with the spokesman for the tplf you would know that i went into great detail.

i would like to acknowledge that and i do recognise that. thank you. it is important we challenge both sides in this conflict. let's return to your side, let's get back to the language being used by your own prime minister who just last month used these words to describe the tigrayan people's liberation front. he called them a cancer, he described them as weeds, a disease and said that they will be removed from our country. as attorney general in a climate where there are accusations of ethnic cleansing, war crimes, crimes against humanity, what do you think of the language being used by your own prime minister? the statement issued by the office of the prime

minister was referring to a terrorist organisation. there have been circumstances in the past in which war leaders have used similar language to refer to terrorist organisations such as isis so, you know, given the pain and agony that the tplf is causing to the people of ethiopian, notjust the recent massacres and atrocities it has committed but what has transpired over the past three decades, that is a sentiment that most ethiopians share. the problem is that what we see happening in the country is that, for example, in addis ababa it is plain over the last few months that hundreds of ethnic tigray people have been rounded up and detained by your security forces. we see in reaction, the american, samantha powell saying that dehumanising rhetoric can accompany atrocities.

do you understand why the international community is increasingly concerned, our parliament and anyone who supports or provides material assistance for sponsors this kind of organisation would have to be held accountable. the tplf happens to be an organisation organised along ethnic lines, so supporters, most of its operatives orfinances happen to be from one ethnic group. so sometimes some outsiders may not understand this context, this situation and the challenge we face. so i understand where they are coming from but they also have to understand the environment in which we are operating.

what do you think are the prospects for the continued unity of your country? the leader said not long ago that trust has broken completely and they don't want to, referring to you in the government, if they don't want us why should we stay? there is a real risk of your country, your country falling apart, isn't there? it is not falling apart. you must remember ethiopia is a resilient state, a resilient nation. we have overcome all sorts of challenge in our long history and when we come united and i believe there is a determination and resolve to neutralise the threat we face from the tplf, we can

overcome this challenge. the tplf seems to be intent on one thing. it does not seem to be willing to tolerate an ethiopian that it cannot dominate, that it cannot... cannot rule and and that is the objective. these are not objectives acceptable to the people of ethiopia, there really does not seem to be a unified addition now among all of the people of all of ethiopian. i am just mindful of what abiy ahmed said when he won a nobel peace prize in 2019. he said that we can harvest peace dividends, we must plant seeds of love, forgiveness and reconciliation in the hearts and minds of our citizens. very far from love, forgiveness and reconciliation. your government right now seems intent on crushing the tigray rebels, eliminating the so—called cancer and that does not sound like love, reconciliation and forgiveness.

we have practised forgiveness, what we have is reconciliation. when the administration came to power the transgressions of the tplf were forgiven and they were given an opportunity to be part of the body politic of the ethiopian state, despite the gross and systematic human rights violations and misrule. there are repeated efforts on the part of this government to find any solution for the differences we had. it is the tplf who triggered the conflict. the tplf who dragged us into this conflict. you must remember that. this is not a conflict that we chose, it is a conflict that was imposed upon us when the tplf attacked in northern area.

but there is no military solution, is there? in the end this will have to be resolved through dialogue and compromise and, right now, your government is not talking the language of dialogue and compromise. when we declared a unilateral ceasefire, we are giving peace a chance. i am sorry, the prime minister just told the nation that all able bodied civilians should join the fight to crush the rebels. it is not a ceasefire when we declared, a ceasefire, the tplf expanded the conflict, went on the offensive into the regions and displaced hundreds of thousands, they have killed hundreds of civilian and under these circumstances what we expected to do? the tplf are a terrorist organisation and they made the ceasefire untenable

and under these circumstances we have a right and responsibility to defend our population and that is what we are doing. gedion timothewos we have to end there but i thank you very much forjoining me from addis ababa. hello there. county tyrone in northern ireland was the warmest part of the uk on monday. and over the next few days, generally, it's going to be the western side of the uk that sees the highest temperatures and the best of the sunshine. the high—pressure is still

in charge of our weather, so essentially it is fine and dry. coming in off the north sea, though, there is this cloud that's pushing towards northern england and eventually it will work towards parts of wales and it could produce a few spots of drizzle, some mistiness over the hills. mist and fog patches and scotland and northern ireland will lift, the sunshine comes out and south of our cloud will get some sunshine across more so than parts of england, as well. let's move northwards though into the northern aisles. cloudy skies here, certainly pegging back the temperatures. but elsewhere in scotland, many places enjoying lots of sunshine. temperatures in the west getting up to 2a or 25 degrees. sunshine for northern ireland, higher temperatures in the west of the country, more cloud than for northern england and particularly as you head towards them north midlands, lincolnshire affecting mid and north wales. south of that, sunshine, stronger wind through the english channel affecting the south coast of england. many parts of the country and to stay with some sunshine, still some cloud in central areas, more cloud into the northeast as well. that is where we will see the weather front approaching as we head into wednesday.

still got high pressure in charge, mind you. still some stronger winds as we head to wednesday across more southern parts of england and through the english channel. we still have this cloud in central areas drifting down perhaps across the midlands, wales, maybe even a little further south, allowing more sunshine in northern england, northern ireland, and in scotland away from the northeast. typical temperatures around about 21 degrees or so. but higher temperatures again across northern ireland, western scotland and this time in cumbria. maybe not quite as warm in yorkshire and headingley, but should be dry for day one of the third test. but more cloud and a cooler feel certainly, i think, for day two on thursday. that is because we will have a strong wind coming off the north sea behind this weather front here, which is more a band of cloud than anything else that will stretch its way down towards wales and the southwest. that cloud tending to break up through the day. but with the stronger winds down to its eastern side of scotland and particularly eastern england, we will have more cloud feeding in here, much cooler on thursday, down to the north sea coast, up to 15 or 16 degrees. it's out to the west that we'll see the best of the temperatures

and the best of the sunshine.

this is bbc news — i'm sally bundock with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. joe biden is expected to decide within 2a hours whether to extend the afghan evacuation deadline. the taliban say it woud be a violation. g7 leaders call an emergency meeting to discuss what would happen next, if the rescue air—lift isn't complete by the end of the month. flash flooding in tennessee leaves 21 dead. rescue workers in the us state continue to look for dozens of missing locals. lebanon turns to iran to help with an acute shortage of fuel, as the country continues to spiral from one crisis to another.

and — we meet the visually—impaired cycling