It was with great anxiety and curiosity that Ethiopians and indeed others who follow Ethiopian affairs closely were waiting for the intervention of the premier who surprised everyone with the so called ‘unilateral cessation of hostilities’ in the Northern Front and the unconditional withdrawal of all fighting law enforcement forces from the Tigray region. For many it was not only unexpected but also equally shocking to find out what seemed a complete U-turn on the policies of the Federal Government regarding what to do with the case.
For eight months there had been this campaign in the north by the federal forces and a quasi-complete neutralization of the top TPLF leadership. The Ethiopian parliament had labeled it as “terrorist” and banned it from every legal activity. After so many casualties recorded on both sides and indeed the destruction in the regional state had been enormous. A lot of infrastructure has been totally demolished or damaged as if it was something that belonged to an alien enemy!
The message seemed ‘if we cannot control it, we will destroy it because you are not going to administer this area without our consent!’
Many say fifty years may have passed since the days when the strategy TPLF forces used was borne but it has not moved an inch further because we saw them use it again! That is why it was said repeatedly that for all practical purposes TPLF leaders are still in the 1960s in terms of how to face the huge military apparatus of the federal forces. When the attack the TPLF leaders launched against the Northern Command failed (“the devastating preemptive strike” as they called it and did not bring about the control of the country beyond their regional states, (as they calculated or hoped), their Plan B was to return to the bush as they once did in the past!
A key question has been circulating among many ‘now that the federal government has decided to withdraw from the regional state leaving the remnants of TPLF to take responsibility of leading the state, how would they cope with all the destruction and damages they inflicted on their own people?’
Given many people were displaced and puzzled to see the Ethiopian federal forces leave the embattled region apparently suddenly, the premier had to take some time in parliament to explain to the MPs what exactly happened now that it was no more a national secret to hide it from public view.
Why was the state left to its own devices? There were indications in many areas that many Ethiopians were upset with the move while others were happy with the decision because the violence seemed never to quell down. As the days passed the level of atrocities had continued to spiral and there were no manners of the military to retaliate because the enemy was hidden among innocent civilians women and children! In the meantime the propaganda of TPLF remnants had increased and the entire Tigray population seemed to rally willingly or not behind the TPLF remnants.
In the intervention of the premier in the parliament it was explained in plain and clear terms that the Federal government was fully engaged in trying to repair the damages of the state and tried to form administrative units in every part of the regional state and administer the state and maintain some form of stability. However it resulted that there were repeated sabotages from infiltrators who continued to work as double agents or from the very bosom of the population sheltering behind human shields. The military was incapacitated to react and the sacrifices began to spiral. So many youths were recruited by force in the TPLF circles and so many aid operators saw their humanitarian efforts squandered by killers in a cowardly manner frustrating every assistance and this contributed to give a lot of publicity in the international media accusing the federal forces of blocking aid etc. One of the drops that eventually cracked the vase was the killing of three MSF officials working in the relief efforts in the regional state. There was realization that it was now almost impossible to manage the situation in the regional state without unnecessary and extensive bloodshed.
The premier revealed to the MPs and Ethiopians following the live TV transmission as well as the diplomatic community stationed in the country that it was time to reconsider things against the backdrop of the latest developments on the ground. He said there were no unchangeable policies as regards the situation in Tigray and every action had to be worth it.
The premier said full assessment of the situation in the regional state was made between his staff and other relevant bodies including nationals of the region, religious leaders, elders and the business community. The pros and cons were deeply considered and studied before a final decision was made. It was clear that there was no military solution in such cases except a prolongation of hostilities, waste of resources, and waste of human life for something which was not worthy of all such losses.
The premier then presented the account that the country spent more than a hundred billion birr during the past eight months of campaign in the region and that was twelve times the annual budget of the region! His remark immediately was that it was not worth all that sacrifice while there are so many other priorities in the country such as the greening of the country, the second filling of the GERD and so many election related developments.
The premier reviewed in a certain detail the events that led to the current impasse and finally to the bold step taken. He said having looked carefully what was going on in the region and what was going on in other countries such as Yemen, Syria, Libya, Afghanistan etc and learning from history with the case in Vietnam when it came to American intervention or even Iraq or Afghanistan, he said there were no military solutions when the entire population seems to be siding with ‘the enemy’ be it voluntary or coerced. The only solution was to put things to a halt.
The premier said it was imperative to see what was going on in Ethiopia and not make mistakes committed by others in more or less similar circumstances. He said at this moment Ethiopia had better to focus on other pressing priorities than the fight against the TPLF remnants who are now practically reduced to a marginal force incapable of presenting a threat to the national security as when the intervention was ordered! He said most of the principal objectives planned before ‘the law enforcement campaign’ in the North was now achieved and there was no initial plan to stay there indefinitely any ways.
The premier said given the TPLF was no more a national threat and the top of the leadership has been mostly removed or put in custody, the heavy armaments of the federal government have been recaptured, the Ethiopian detainees liberated, there was no pressing and concrete threat to the federal government and people of Ethiopia he said and thus moving out of the regional state was a wise move.
The next step was to cease every hostility in the region and possibly allow for full humanitarian assistance to all. Finally the federal government would not be accused of blocking access to humanitarian assistance because millions are threatened with lack of food and other necessities. The undue international pressure against the Ethiopian government was not only excessive beside being one sided he said because of the huge economic power the TPLF leaders had acquired and maintained through the years using the plundered Ethiopian resources through the years of their reign!
The campaign the western media and the lobby groups in Washington and elsewhere were evidently financed by the agents of TPLF abroad and the narrative they continued to disseminate never tried to be neutral or at least verify what was being aired by TPLF controlled websites and media operators. What they did was just relay what had been delivered them by TPLF agents. Clearly, the premier warned that it was time for Ethiopians to wake up and reconsider seriously the trustworthiness or credibility of some western media! He told parliament that if we see false reports of events we know and control, how can we trust them with reports on which we have no control?!
The propaganda campaign against the Ethiopian government was extensive and that has contributed to destabilize further the region and contribute to raising false expectations among the population sabotaging the rehabilitation efforts of the government, the premier noted! He said protracted military operations under similar circumstances was useless and there had to be reached to a halt and see what will happen once we leave the area. Now the ball is in the court of TPLF.
While so many atrocities committed by the fugitive TPLF forces were never given any attention in the international media any reports of violence by federal forces were given excessive coverage. For instance the massacre of innocent farmers and daily labourers in Maikadra profiled ethnically was not even mentioned any more. It was swept under the rug as if it never occurred! So many one sided stories were portrayed by some media and that was intended to tarnish the image of the country. The reports of certain media who are openly enemies of Ethiopia were given generous coverage by others in the trade. It was clear that the pre-existing relation the TPLF led government once had with certain forces came to be of critical help now. Many staff in various international organisations followers or sympathizers of TPLF also had the opportunity to use their connections and disseminate whatever news was favourable for the junta and negative for Ethiopia. In this respect a lot of damage was done to the image of the country despite its best efforts to pacify and rehabilitate the state.
The premier told parliament that Tigray regional state residents are given the ‘time to ponder’ on their own destiny and reconsider their relations with the regional administration. Ethiopia is ready to offer humanitarian access to all those who are ready to help and farmers are now allowed to plough their land in peace with all the seeds and fertilizers availed before the rainy season began or else resign to total disaster. Food scarcity has always been an issue in the region even with full agricultural activities undertaken by farmers leave alone skip the rainy season altogether!
Reports of impending famine were circulating widely in the international media attributing it to the government the premier said. However this was not the case as the government allowed for all the necessary emergency food aid be delivered but was put under attack by TPLF sympathizers and bandits.
Asked about the way forward for the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) and the insufficient budget allotted to it, the premier said he was proud of being a member of the ENDF and that the most decisive weapon of the ENDF was their heart, their courage and resolve as well as readiness for any form of sacrifice for the country without even receiving any remuneration worth the work they do.
He also lauded the ENDF underscoring and his full confidence in its worth and was ready to always defend the sovereignty of the country. And now that its mission in the Tigray is over, it would focus in other more pressing affairs such as defending the country from any alien threats and focus more on the federal state as a whole rather than give too much attention to a single region alone which currently is not necessarily a top priority, he concluded.
BY FITSUM GETACHEW
The Ethiopian Herald 15 July 2021
