He was only five years and six months old. He had greater interest to go to school, draw and color pictures, trace numbers and play with his peers; like his younger brother. Because he was extremely excited and obsessed to go to schools, he had been untiringly asking his father to buy him school bag and pencils in advance.
Sadly, in an unfortunate incident, his excitements and eagerness turned out to be a past story that would be narrated by his parents. The heavy weaponries that were fired by the terrorist TPLF group targeting civilians, took his life.
The child who did not have a slightest idea what was happening in his surrounding; but playing together peacefully with his peers nearby his house, in Felakit Town of North Wollo Zone, Meket Woreda, in Amhara State, murdered by the terrorists’ firearm heartlessly.
Those nefarious people buried the baby along with his childhood desire of going along with his younger brother to school, learn and play with his peers.
Child’s father, Wagaw Menber is Head of Mekete Woreda Education Office. As to him, during the time the terrorist group controlled the Woreda, it executed several evil deeds. Including massacring innocent civilians, it has caused incalculable bankruptcy on economic and social institutions. The faction is not striving to terrify the people; but it is working targeting to destroy the Amhara generation; and to disintegrate the country as well. “Due to the ill intent of the terrorist group, I too lost one of my two children,” he said mournfully.
As it is learnt, since the past few months, by the reason of heavy artilleries fired by the terrorist group against innocent civilians, thousands of people including children and women murdered and many more are left with lifelong injuries, both physical and psychological harms.
Daughter of Fatuma Deto, is one of those unfortunate children who are left with permanent harms. As Fatuma, mother of three and a resident of Wekartu Fursa Kebele located around Atekom, Kssagita, in Afar State, remembered at the time when the terrorist TPLF group had been committing atrocities in the area, she left her house and climbed into a hill to protect her family and herself from potential attack and look what was going to happen.
In the meantime, her second-born and four-year-old daughter was playing with her peers in the neighborhood near their home. Suddenly, she heard an unexpected explosion in the village. And, she was shocked by what she saw – the neighbor’s house being destroyed by raging fire and children and animals being injured in the blast.
Terrified by what she had watched, Fatuma began running home immediately.
When she arrived at her place, she found the children lying down on the ground. While two of the neighbor’s children were dead; her daughter was injured by the explosion. As the situation did not allow burying the dead and treating the injured ones, she was only able to save her daughter with the help of traditional medicine.
Indicating that the terrorist group has shown its disrespect to the people of Afar by perpetrating atrocities and massacring innocent and non-combatant civilians, Fatuma said that the group was preventing them from going out anywhere.
“At that specific point, I was shocked when I saw my daughter lying on the ground thinking that she was dead, but now I am glad that she survived, and I believe that she would get better if she receives medical treatment.”
Notwithstanding the fact that her daughter sustained a lasting injury, she thanked God for the survival of her beloved one.
Fatuma expressed her delight that the terrorist group was swept away from the entire Afar area even if it left an unforgettable and indelible scar against her and the people of Afar. She said the group must be destroyed so that it cannot commit horrific abuse once again.
True, the terrorist group should be thwarted once and for all because it is that does not have any Ethiopian sentiment; but working to erode Ethiopianism and destroy Ethiopia. the inhuman atrocities it committed against Ethiopians prove this too.
As Wagaw, father of the gone boy, stated the callosities of the faction are beyond words. And to throw away the enterprise irreversibly, we should join hands in more concerted manner than before.
BY STAFF REPORTER
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD DECEMBER 21/2021
