No one seems surprised by the US Department of State’s reaction to the TPLF’s blatant aggression that violated the five-month humanitarian truce. TPLF’s lawlessness and terrorism are being appeased by the Americans. It was the TPLF that officially declared a week ago the humanitarian truce had collapsed. Then, a few days ago, it reignited violence and attempted to make gains in Amhara and Afar regions as it did last year by launching attacks on at least five fronts.
It is now abundantly clear that this is a war of aggression sparked by TPLF. The Americans did not want to single out TPLF and denounce its unprovoked aggression. Secretary Blinken who has been crying about unfettered access to humanitarian supplies to Tigray civilians, chose to keep quiet until now about the statement of WFP accusing TPLF of looting over half a million liters of fuel from its stock in Melkele.
Here is how one commentator responded to Blinken’s, the US top diplomat’s lukewarm reaction to TPLF’s anti-peace and terrorist acts saying: “Sir! We need to stop two-siding this. The TPLF terrorist group started this war like it did start the last time by massacring the Northern command! Denounce them! the State Department false equivalency has emboldened TPLF now.”
The looting by the TPLF of humanitarian supplies that are meant to save the lives of Tigrayan civilians is a recurring incident that happened on several occasions though out the period of the conflict. This action of TPLF proves beyond any shadow of a doubt how irresponsible and insensitive the terrorist group is to the suffering of the Tigray people. The European Commissioner for Crisis Management, in charge of European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid, Janez Lenarčič, said “ I call for a swift return of the stolen fuel to WFP. Without fuel, there is no food delivery possible in Tigray. The lives of millions depend on it .” Similarly, The USAID Chief, Samatha Power, who is known for her sympathetic stance toward TPLF, has made a strange statement denouncing the TPLF over the looting incident.
the European Commissioner has been in Mekele two months ago to talk with The TPLF leaders. His demand for the return of the “stolen” fuel sounds like a bluff, or at least funny.-Instructing an outlaw terrorist group to return a material it looted and consumed. Even skeptics are wondering if The WFP has simply let TPLF take the fuels away. The skeptics relate their suspicion to the picture that went viral on social media a year ago, which shows a WFP executive letting Getachew Reda of TPLF use WFP’s satellite phone.
TPLF has replied to the lotting incident with shameless lies that insult the intelligence of the audience if there are any. WFP officials, at least the Country Office Representative, are supposed to publicly dismiss the falsehood narration of TPLF used to explain its looting of a huge quantity of the fuel stock, which roughly amounted to more than a quarter of the monthly humanitarian fuel supply being delivered to Tigray Region
Everything that advances and protects TPLF’s interest gets at least a tacit approval of some Westerners. For those who realize this fact, the reappointment of Tedros Adhanom to lead the UN health agency for another new term did not come as a surprise. Despite the blunders he made in the fight against the COVID-19 global pandemic, which resulted in the loss of thousands of lives, that could have been saved otherwise, the West led by the pro –TPLF White House has allowed Tedros to remain at the helm of the UN Organization.
Tedros carrier path is more of a politician than a carrier health expert or bureaucrat. In fact, he is the first WHO Director-General who is not a medical doctor, He was once considered to be the most likely successor to the late TPLF strongman, Meles Zenawi. Despite being in Jeneva with global responsibility as a senior UN official, he still whistles ‘’ Je suis Weyane!”. It is no surprise that when he abuses his WHO office, as an influential platform to act as the TPLF spokesman, no government or agency of the west cries foul. Because the White House like him.
The TPLFite Tedros is the darling of the democrats-controlled White House and the US Congress and the US Department of State. A few months ago picture of him ingratiating himself with US government big shots and congressional leaders has been circulating on social media.
Similarly, like his comrades in Mekele, Tewdros Adhanom as well will hopefully soon pop up on his Twitter page to tell us his laughable interpretation of the story of the fuel looting in Mekele. who knows, he could even continue to blame the Ethiopian government for the hindrance of distribution of aid in Tigray.
Looting humanitarian supplies for financing and fueling war is the long-held inhuman criminal practice of TPLF that it grew up with since its early days in the 80s. when one studies TPLF’s history, it seems like TPLF is licensed to steal and get away with its crimes. The criminal group has been stealing from its people, the government coffers, and foreign agencies.
Around a year ago, TPLF committed similar major looting of warehouses of another international humanitarian agency. The terrorist group at that time completely emptied several warehouses of USAID in several areas, particularly in the Amhara region, where TPLF soldiers had invaded. That was a report confirmed by the USAID’s mission director in Ethiopia. Like it is in the present, the looting was not appropriately dealt with by the US government. And TPLF has taken the leniency of the US and European authorities to do this despicable act over and over again with impunity.
Above all, the restart of the fighting and the collapse of the humanitarian truce did not come as surprise. Given the continued TPLF threats and its baseless criticisms of the peace process, it was obvious that the breach of the truce by TPLF was imminent. Ann Fitzgerald, a noted scholar on International Affairs specializing in the Horn of Africa, has a similar reflection on the TPLF aggression that brought the news of the restart of the fighting by TPLF at a time when a negotiated cease-fire is recommended by the Ethiopian government. “Tragic news…but expected. Recent TPLF statements, its resistance to the peace process, and heightened disinformation warfare… sadly all pointed to this. An inevitable outcome in the face of the International Community silence, the unequal application of sanctions & a one-sided ceasefire.” she commented
When one retraces TPLF’s actions over the last 22 months of the northern Ethiopia conflict, it would be easy to discern its consistent pattern of behavior of making up excuses not to approach the negotiation table. It is the typical nature of the terrorist group to seek peace talks only when it needs time for preparation for another round of war.
When the Ethiopian government declared the first immediate and unilateral cease-fire in the Tigray region in June 2021, TPLF rejected it automatically because it had adequate supplies required when it took over Mekelle and saw opportunities to continue extending the war to the neighboring region.TPLF accepted the 24 March 2022 humanitarian truce not out of a commitment to peace, but because of the heavy military losses it suffered due to the Ethiopian forces’ counter-offensive. After five months of preparation, TPLF has now resumed the war by spending resources that are meant for humanitarian purposes, as well as using funds and assistance it gets from anti-Ethiopia foreign powers.
In this round of the conflict, there is no surprising aspect in TPLF ‘s political and military moves. TPLF has employed the same shameless deceitful propaganda strategy it employed last year to disguise the truth about the ongoing conflict in northern Ethiopia..the international community has now solid evidence to conclude that TPLF is the creator and driver of the northern Ethiopian conflict. one of the compelling evidence for TPLF aggression is that like the past year the present fighting is taking place inside the neighboring regions of Amahara and Afar region. No fighting is taking place in Tigray. TPLF has pushed aside the peace process and focused on realizing its long-held impossible mission of dismantling Ethiopia.
Some groups, TPLF protectors, should not continue to pay lip service, as usual, they should clearly condemn TPLF’s belligerence, and push it to accept the olive branch the Ethiopian government still holding.
END
BY SOLOMON WASSIHUN
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD TUESDAY 30 AUGUST 2022
