BY STAFF REPORTER
For anyone in their right minds, the degrading treatments and the barbarous act that the TPLF junta executed against the captive defence forces of Ethiopia is entirely inconceivable and callous. For the worse, this inhuman evil deed is being carried out by own companionship makes the crime more saddening and at the same time an act that is beyond humans’ mind.
How dare someone plan to crush down his own fellow people by the Sino Truck? This is truly one of the manifestations of junta’s malicious acts.
The heart-stopping shocking attack was carried out in the northern part of the country (Mekelle) against the captive members of the Defence Forces.
As the survival of this deplorable deed told to the Ethiopian Press Agency, the act is too horrific and dreadful that cannot be described in words.
Sergent Dereje Anbessa is a
maintenance technician at the Northern Command of the Defense Forces. He has
served his country day and night for years. Like others member of the Defense
Forces, he has been standing by the sides of the Tigray people in times of bad
moments, expressing his solidarity.
However, as he is member of the Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF), which is the protector of the people and the country, he had never dreamt of being betrayed and attacked by his own comrades. Unfortunately, the opposite has happened and attacked by the apostates – the defiant group unexpectedly attacked the National Defenec Forces around 4:00 pm on November 3, 2020, and arrested him along with some of his coworkers.
Without a single of wrongs, they imprisoned him unjustly in Kelamino Prison. Then, they took him along with his colleagues to Agbe, and a few days later to ‘Tenben Teachers’ College’.
However, when the junta heard the sounds of heavy artilleries blasted by the Defence Forces, it obliged the captives to go to other distant area. “We started walking. However, as we walked around 40 kms, we heard a sound of a Sino truck coming behind us. It was 8:00 pm,” he said with raspy voice.
As to him, the number of captives had reached to 1,200. Sadly enough, while they were travelling, their captivators did not allow the captives to move to the left side of the road, even when they tried to leave the center of the asphalt and take the left side; the junta’s special force had been shooting on them. As they reached a lane that is narrow on both the left and right sides and have no place to hide for, they made the truck drove towards them. “The Sino Truck started plough into us directly, killing and injuring us,” he said sadly.
“The truck broke my leg, and I rolled over into a deep ditch. I spent the whole night in the ditch along with my friends injured by the incident.”
The Sino moved at least for 50 meters on people. As a result some of them passed away, others injured and the rest fell into the deep ditch. This was done on us by our own people. It is a very saddening thing. People who were living with us for years crushed us by truck. It was much better if they had shot us with weapons, Dereje said with depressed voice.
According to him, during this bad incident, there were women and children with him, but he does not know even who was killed and who survived. Those survived were scattered, and the wounded ones went into the forest. “I could not even identify the children who died. Shouting near me with agony, they passed away. As my leg was injured and could not stand on my own feet, I could not help them. I came out of from that place on my knees. Only five of us survived, he said while describing the horrific situation.
“The National Forces were the supporter of the people. We were getting up early morning, at 5am, and giving a lending hand in collecting crops. We were also contributing our salary to mitigate the transmission of COVID-19 pandemic and carried out various development activities. We have never turned our backs to the development of the people of Tigray.”
“However, the junta and its cliques did something that should not be done on us. It would have been much better if they shoot us or gathered and set us on fire. Even an external enemy would not kill a person crushing in a car. After the incident, we were nervous while we were walking on the road. We are tortured psychologically.”
The other victim of the incident is Sergent wondemagegne Woldegebriel.
According to him, while they were walking accompanied by the militant and special force of the junta, they heard order not to get out of the asphalt. Guessing there are bombs on the road, they continued traveling in the middle of the asphalt.
However, as they arrived in the dark area, a Sino Truck came behind them. “We were shot in the front, and we all slept not to be shot. By this time, the Sino truck started plough into us.”
Some of the people rolled into the deep hole. Unfortunately, many died with the cruel act of the junta. Some were also wounded. Surprisingly, the driver was driving zigzags again and again to kill those survived and attempted to secure their lives, some of us though crushed; we were able to survive, he said.
After the incidence, because we could not walk on our feet, we slept there helplessly. As luck would have it, prisoners who had been abducted by the junta and freed by the help of the Defense Forces came to help us. Finally, we met member of the Defence Forces, he added.
The Ethiopian Herald December 12/2020
