History tells us that the world has experienced infinite numbers of wars and conflicts of various species and we have heard of all sorts of destruction and damage provoked by parties in conflicts. Lately we have seen terrorist groups who labeling themselves as ‘freedom fighters’ have provoked so much destruction of whatever they consider enemy property.
In the current conflict in northern Ethiopia very disturbing accounts of atrocities and destructions as well as looting and vandalizing have been reported. As we discover everyday in the liberated areas, the extent of the assaults carried out on innocent people, the kinds of thuggery committed is there for anyone to see if they do not choose to close their eyes! The most dehumanizing of acts were committed in the past several months in those areas! Can anyone justify these acts as part of the war? Don’t wars have their own laws and red lines that should not be crossed? Is destroying religious sites, museums, hospitals and universities part of war endeavours or only senseless acts which are just a result of deranged minds?
The question that comes to our mind is legitimate: ‘can there be any worse situation to humanity than this’? Would any alien invader have done any worse? Some have remarked that not even the fascist forces of the nineteen twenties and thirties went to such extent of barbarism and criminality. At a certain point they had respect for the enemy and they had respect for their own sense of humanity! There were lines they never crossed. We never saw them kill innocent domestic animals just because they happened to be owned by their enemies! What is the mind set of TPLF leaders that has come out with similar acts against an entire population with whom they have had bonds that lasted for centuries?
The harrowing accounts that the victims continue to reveal are so disturbing that there is no manner of justification on what actually TPLF forces resorted to in order to be satisfied with their acts.
Looking closely at what they did what one observers could only be ‘how far blinded they could be with vitriolic hatred against an entire population! It is something that no organisation which claims to have been founded to battle for the rights of oppressed people and originates from among the oppressed would want to engage in. One would think that any organisation that has been conceived and founded to stand for the freedom of the oppressed or disadvantaged would never even think of destroying all the property and assets of another poor people, more or less in the same boat as the aggressors. What TPLF forces have done to the Amhara and Afar people is not only unpardonable by any stretch of imagination but has also shown the true nature and face of the organisation, and above all, the true nature of its leaders. Indeed, it is difficult to find similar episodes of gratuitous and wanton destruction and heinous atrocities in any chapter of recent history!
It is imaginable that wars, conflicts, hostilities, attacks and counterattacks do cause lots of unnecessary destruction. They may also be humanly impossible to totally avoid. They may be ‘tolerated’ if not ‘accepted’ under the label ‘collateral damage’. We like it or not we are forced to live with the horrors of wars as it is considered part of human history or human nature. But what the TPLF forces did to all the Amhara and Afar areas where they stationed during the days they controlled is unheard of before. It has violated all laws of wars and belligerence, breaching humanitarian principles that are required to be respected under any circumstance.
We have never experienced such total destruction of each and every health facility that existed in these areas. We have never seen such destruction of each and every school or educational facility! For instance, we have heard of the total destruction of the Dessie Referral Hospital worth more than ten billion birr! In equal measure, the total destruction and looting of the Dessie University, again worth billions of birr has been reported. These institutions had their own history and served millions of people. In particular, the eighty year old referral hospital used to take care of millions across the years, including those who came from the nearby Tigray region! It had the capacity to serve specialized treatment of several fatal diseases and conditions! And yet only rubbles now remain after the invasion!
Besides, we have had eye witness reports of wanton destruction of all public and private property including the very modest and poor ones, carried out systematically. What they could not take away, they were busy destroying them all!
Even harvests and crops were targeted. Domestic animals and cattle etc were deliberately slaughtered or killed! Food provisions of even the most modest households were looted and vandalized! Can there be any more or worse violence against people than this? It is difficult to set any measure or limit to it all?!
Killing of innocent people who had nothing to do with the conflict such as clergy, elderly and monks was the order of the day eyewitnesses revealed. Witnesses who survived the predicament talked about people arbitrarily executed, especially if they were suspected of having taken part in any form of resistance to their advancement. People suspected of having ties with the ruling party were mercilessly massacred. Youths who were viewed as dangers were equally summarily executed!
The troubling question now in every body’s mind is “how can the people of Tigray feel represented by such an organisation or, is supporting the party totally imposed on them by this group? What is the enjoyment, the delight in burning down of all religious institutions, all sacred and holy books preserved for centuries? How can they feel gratified for doing similar unheard of thuggery and insanity?! What will be the reaction of the victims once the dust settles down and the conflict ends? Is there any hope of living together again or will there be other cycles of hostilities that would be inherited to future generations as well? This is really troubling because the destiny of future generations should not be allowed to be decided by a few mentally deranged individuals intoxicated with the lust for power! These people cannot be in their right minds and would need medical attention!
Be that as it may, when all these crimes are being committed in plain daylight and with declared gratification, we have not heard of any international body or government in the world at large coming forward to mention it, denounce it and still less to condemn it! Most of these crimes are not ordinary crimes to be prosecuted by an internal judicial body alone, but by international courts of justice. These acts are crimes against humanity, crimes against the human race and human heritage! It is an offense to human conscience that we have not heard yet any ‘international body’ coming forward to condemn and express words of solidarity to the people of Ethiopia.
Ethiopians are hence wondering: ‘where are the various UN bodies or similar organisations who do not normally keep quiet when similar acts occur deliberately anywhere in the world?. We have seen them in other occasions releasing various kinds of fiery statements and declarations condemning unequivocally similar barbarisms. And yet no words of disapproval have yet to be heard when due to the gratuitous violence and thuggery of TPLF forces millions of people are being deprived of basic health services, and billions of birr worth precious medicines destroyed. The irony is that most of these services were grants or assistance of WHO and other charitable bodies! When billions of birr worth educational facilities and books etc have been deliberately pillaged and destroyed, there was no word of UNESCO!
People ask: ‘Where is the ILO which stands for the ‘rights of workers’ wherever they may be when TPLF forces have deliberately destroyed places where thousands are employed and win their livelihood? Entire industrial parks have been leveled to the ground! Does this come out of a worry of being partisan or interfering in the internal affairs of a sovereign country? How can these international bodies choose to sit idle and keep their mouths muzzled while under their watch millions are condemned to be without basic amenities of life? Does this not amount to approval or acquiescence or complicity?
Do all these acts warrant any form of justification in the context of a war albeit deadly and devastating? Why are totally innocent people massacred just because they are caught in between? Why is the world silent when similar barbarities are committed? We are not in the sixteenth century when any form of atrocity might have been tolerated. We are in a technologically advanced epoch when nations do know what is going on in any country and by whom? Of course silence in these cases must be taken as carelessness, if not encouragement, or complicity! The message seems: ‘who cares if these people kill each other and destroy all the assets they have! Indeed, this is really perplexing and hard to justify!
The Ethiopian government is in the process of quantifying the damages and destruction that the TPLF criminals have incurred on the country in order to be able to depict the exact picture and prepare a plan of reconstruction and rehabilitation. After all, life must resume once the conflict subsides.
The numbers are staggering and the extent of the damage goes deep into the hearts and minds of not only the inhabitants of the regions directly affected but also across the entire country. The kinds of barbarities carried out are being registered for the record as well, because it should be carefully conserved so that it will be a lesson for others to learn from, so that it shall never be repeated any time anywhere.
All those who masterminded, designed, prepared and executed these senseless acts will have to be accountable in an open court once they are apprehended. It is every citizen’s request to try and do all that is necessary to apprehend these culprits who caused the devastation and humiliation of a people even beyond any imaginable extent of ruthlessness and cruelty. The abuse carried out on totally innocent individuals, the sexual violence carried out against all sorts of innocent people, and the way the violence was carried out, including mass executions and burning of corpses will have to be fully accounted for.
This will be the daunting homework of the government of Ethiopia in the coming weeks and months while trying to do away with these terrorists once and for all! It is clear that no efforts will be spared on the part of Ethiopians to seize all those who took part in the infamous violence that was carried out against Ethiopians and more specifically the traitors in the military who stabbed the Ethiopian national defense forces from the back. Whatever peace may be sealed or reached after this conflict ends, it shall never be complete without the arrest and prosecution of all those who created inferno in the country!
No one is talking about revenge, but about accountability and justice! Justice must be rendered to all those who were victims of the decisions of TPLF leadership. Otherwise there will be no guarantee that similar deadly endeavors will not be attempted again. It must be a lesson to all those who might be tempted to entertain similar ideas!
BY FITSUM GETACHEW
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD DECEMBER 23/2021
