As the people of Ethiopia were under the iron feast rule of the terrorist TPLF group for nearly three decades, the latter were persistently turning the lives of the former into a living hell over and over again. Apart from backing the country into a corner, the group was sowing the seeds of hatred and discord among the various Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ of Ethiopia.
In addition to fully getting itself into egregious violation of human rights, corruption, and self-enrichment on a national scale, the terrorist TPLF officials were giving prominence to lining their pockets. No matter what the cost maybe, they did not feel the pain of the broader community.
Through the passage of time, when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came into power on the heels of public uprisings, the terrorist group embarked on pouring cold water on the ongoing reform surfacing in the length and breadth of the country by getting itself involved in illegal acts.
By the same token, the group set in motion claiming to have adopted its own electoral law, established its own electoral commission, and orchestrated a sham and illegal election. The TPLF officials as well declared that fact that they will not comply with laws, directives, and regulations to be enacted by the federal government.
Likewise, the group embarked on sponsoring, training, and equipping anyone willing to engage in violent and illegal acts to derail the democratic transition in Ethiopia. Their objective is clearly to make the country ungovernable by instigating clashes along ethnic and religious lines.
However, by demonstrating extreme cruelty and unparalleled treachery the terrorist group attacked the Northern Command of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces in the early morning of 4 November 2020 working hand-in-glove with its accomplices. On the basis thereof, the group caused indescribable human suffering and material damages.
Following the attack on the Northern Command, the Ethiopian National Defense Forces set in motion undertaking law enforcement operations with the intention of bringing escapees to justice, disarming the terrorist group, restoring legitimate administration to the region, and things of that sort.
When the federal government declared unilateral ceasefire taking predicaments demonstrated in the region into consideration, the terrorist TPLF group jumpstarted committing atrocities in Afar and Amhara states almost immediately. In addition to killing thousands of innocent civilians and displacing them, the terrorist group has been looting and getting itself into property destruction.
The group has been as well committing a war crime in contempt of augmented global community’s selfishness and exemption and doubling the stakes of its criminal behaviors against civilians despite the international community kept on turning a blind eye.
In the same vein, the terrorist TPLF group has been making every effort to spread its offenses into Amhara and Afar states. Bolstered by the silence of the international community and led by its years of parasitical inclination, the group has strengthened its carnages against noncombatants residing both in Afar and Amhara states.
In an exclusive interview with the Ethiopian Press Agency (EPA), Addis Ababa University Law Lecturer Cherenet Hordofa said that a failure to discriminate against those who are not taking part in armed conflict and intentionally targeting civilians and public property including the environment is against the international humanitarian law.
He stressed that the terrorists’ brutal genocidal killings in Mai Kadra and Humera, the firing of heavy artilleries that targeted innocent civilians in various areas are the best instances in this regard. The recent massacre committed in Wuchale and Chifra is also another inhuman act committed by the terrorist enterprise.
“Besides targeting civilians, various reports have indicated that the terrorist clique has been destroying public property such as health institutions, schools, government offices, and it has been openly looting private and public property, he stressed that the act is not acceptable by national and international laws. “It is something that contradicts with the human ethics.”
Attacking and massacring civilians is totally unacceptable and it is rather a crime against the international war law, he added.
“People should be aware that some Western countries are putting pressure on the nation aimed at creating client state like the TPLF terrorist group.”
He further indicated that with a view to promoting their narrow interests across the Horn of Africa, some Western countries have turned a blind eye and deaf ear to the TPLF’s atrocities committed from Mai Kadra to the recent massacre in Wuchale and dared to test the sovereignty of the nation.
He elucidated that the government should provide sufficient information about the reality and let the Ethiopians and the international community know its side of the story in a way that cannot violate the national interest.
According to eyewitnesses, thirteen innocent people were burned to death in a house by the terrorist TPLF in Wurgessa town, in the North Wollo of Amhara state. All the victims are ethnic Amhara. It was to be recalled that, the terrorist TPLF group recently killed more than thirty civilians in Chifra and Wuchale of Amhara State.
Since the withdrawal of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) from Tigray State and the federal government’s declaration of unilateral ceasefire in the states, the terrorist TPLF group massacred thousands of civilians in Maikadra, Agamsa, Galicoma, Chena, and kobo during the past months.
Some media outlets under the aegis of paid activists have been with intent spreading fabricated stories that demean the determinations of the Ethiopian government. Nowadays, the so-called international media outlets have been getting themselves involved in a fresh wave of cooked-up stories against Ethiopia.
As the unilateral humanitarian ceasefire declared by the federal government is seen as a blessing in disguise for the terrorist group, it is continuing to employ child soldiers from all corners of the Tigray region. Sadly, the group has been recruiting children less than eighteen years of age for their evil deeds.
Previously, responding to the atrocious delinquencies of recruiting soldiers to fight, Amdegebriel Admasu, a legal expert told The Ethiopian Herald that under the decree of the internal criminal court bringing into play children to fight in a war is strongly forbidden by law. It is not allowed. This kind of act is a criminal one.
He went on to note that, “As the international community is taking sides with the TPLF terrorist group, they have not made an effort to throw light on the agony of children being used as fighters by the TPLF group. While pointing fingers against the Ethiopian government, the international community is every so often turning a deaf ear on the grave crimes being committed by TPLF.
He further stated that by the way, using child soldiers in a war is an international crime. We have seen many countries facing charges and appearing before the court even in the Horn of Africa. As to me, the terrorist TPLF group should be brought before the court.
“It is crystal clear that under the country’s laws, the TPLF has been designated as a terrorist organization. Ethiopia can take the case to international courts using this as evidence.”
BY ADDISALEM MULAT
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD OCTOBER 22/2021
