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3rd January 2021 at 2:26 pm #635
THE MAYOR OF MEKELLE CONCEDED THAT ERITREAN TROOPS ARE IN TIGRAY
Prosperity Party Appointee, Acting Mayor of Mekelle, Atakilti Haileslassie, says “We’re pressing the Federal Government & Higher Military Personnel of Ethiopia National Defence Forces to enforce the withdrawal of Eritrean troops from Tigray.”
The Abiy-installed “new mayor” of Mekelle bluntly, & perhaps inadvertently, conceded that Eritrean troops are in Tigray. He said they entered because the Ethiopian defence was attacked by the TPLF. This concession is in stark departure from the Ethiopian government’s position.
The trauma that the people of Tigray have faced & the devastation they will continue to endure is deeply troubling. These are real people with lives and families, and the urgency to intervene is NOT there.
The invasion of Tigray caused: *1000s death *over 2.5 million children to need urgent assistance *over 54,000 to fled Sudan *looting & destruction of ancient churches & mosques *destruction of factories & universities.
Ethiopia Autonomous Media
3rd January 2021 at 2:40 pm #636Tigray was the most peaceful of Ethiopia’s 10 regional states
Prior to November 4th, Tigray was the most peaceful of Ethiopia’s 10 regional states. After November 4th, the federal government and allied with Eritrea, and Amhara militias waged a genocidal campaign against 6+ million Tigrayans causing mayhem.
Our children don’t feel safe- they feel the genocide in Tigray. That’s why the came to Sudan to be refugees. They don’t deserve this.
Ethiopia Autonomous Media
4th January 2021 at 6:23 pm #638CHURCH IN ETHIOPIA
This 800-year-old church in Ethiopia was carved from a single stone.
Good morning Tigray:
The land of hopeful
The land of honest
The land of civilized
The land of disciplined
The land of hardworking
The land of perseverance
The land of fair & just
The land of heroesHave a wonderful workweek!
Ethiopia Autonomous Media
4th January 2021 at 7:39 pm #640Tigray war
Full fledged Tigray Genocide while the world watches idly. Abiy Ahmed Ali sending more tanks to Tigray. Below is a photo taken today on the road to Tigray through Afar.
This is today! After the war is over a month bac, as claimed by the Ethiopia regime/
Tigray war means of late, from Mekele to Addis: 2 days by bus through 20 police checkpoints. Eyewitness 15 destroyed tanks along road between Mekele and Alamata.
If between Mekele and Alamata destroyed 15 tanks imagine how many tanks destroyed between Mekele and Humera. This reminds of the time during DERG, when it took us hours to reach Mendefera or Massawa from Asmara through checkpoints.
Arriving in Addis everyone taken to a police station for questioning. 6 detained. Locals forbidden to fly from Mekelle to Addis.
My husband had to wait 6+ hours for questioning by police when they all arrived to Addis. Seemed like half of the passengers were sent to a bigger police station (detained?)A failed state by all standards, thanks to the warlord in Addis Ababa – where the hell is he by the way?
Ethiopia without a Tigray is like a car without an engine. Now let’s see this car moved.
Ethiopia Autonomous Media
4th January 2021 at 7:51 pm #641The Agony of Tigrayans
At a time when the free flow of information and free debate about the government’s actions in Tigray are urgently needed, the Ethiopian government has arrested six journalists, reports the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission.
The arrest of 6 journalists in Ethiopia pales in comparison to what’s happening in the northern region of the country. Over 6 million people are deprived of food, medicine, electricity, Internet, phone lines, access to banks.
Open your eyes and ears world do let Tigray people down urge Abiy Ahmed Ali to open communications, banking roads let humanitarian and journalists in Tigray. Let the world see what’s going on in Tigray and let the world judge who is doing what.
Abiy Ahmed is fooling the international community and diverting their attention from focusing on humanitarian actions to be taken. Still he is bombing by airstrike hospitals and schools as we speak.
Tigrayans are suffering from starvation, lack of medication, extrajudicial killings, indiscriminate shelling & other war crimes.
Crimes against humanity. 70 days without electricity, telecom, internet, gas, medical supplies, banks are still closed. Abiy Ahmed is committing war crimes.
The shameless and incredible looting of Tigray!!! “The first division entered Ethiopia last few weeks ago and arrived at Adi Grat. Their assignment is to identify and take control of all assets — military items, warehouses, industrial equipment, etc.
Full of lies and cover up by the government mouthpiece as always. Tigray have no representative in the parliament. People of Tigray have voted who they want them to administer. Tigray is not Abiy’s PLc whom he appointed a CEO as he wish to, rubbish, Tigray Will Prevail.
Fact Checking Despot Abiy Ahmed: “No women, No children in Sudanese refugee camps,” Abiy lied to Ethiopia’s rubber-stamp parliament. UNHCR reported 50% of Tigrayans refugees are women. Nearly half are children.
Ethnic Tigrayan bank accounts frozen -Tigrayans can not fly out of the country, Ethnic Tigrayans dismissed from military, security, and other institutions –
Tigrayans are under extreme agony, but also their cries, agony and pain can not be heard by the rest of the world.
Ethiopia Autonomous Media
9th January 2021 at 4:35 pm #649Sudanese troops accused of killing many civilians
Ethiopia accused Sudanese troops of killing “many civilians” in recent fighting over contested land at the nations’ border.
Tensions between the two countries have escalated since conflict erupted in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region on Nov. 4, with several deadly clashes occurring on fertile farming land in the al-Fashqa area that straddles the border. The dispute risks drawing a third nation into a regional conflict that has already involved troops from neighbouring Eritrea.
Ethiopian authorities have observed Sudanese military forces carrying out organized attacks using heavy machine guns and armoured convoys at their border, Dina Mufti, spokesman for Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry, told reporters on Tuesday. Ethiopian farmers in the region have had their properties looted, while “many civilians have been murdered and wounded,” he said.
Sudanese Foreign Minister Omar Qamar al-Din didn’t respond to requests for comment and calls to the North African nation’s Information Ministry and the Sudanese army went unanswered.
Al-Din said last week that Sudan’s army have taken control of most of the disputed land in the al-Fashqa area. He played down the prospect of the conflict escalating, saying the government will use diplomatic channels to resolve the dispute.
Both sides met last month to discuss the border issue, but made no progress.
Amhara Militia
Foreign diplomats and Sudanese officials who have been following the talks said that while Sudanese troops moved to the al-Fashqa area after Ethiopian federal troops left to help with the conflict in Tigray, large groups of Ethiopian ethnic Amhara militiamen have mobilized in the area.Amhara state, whose fighters backed the Ethiopian federal army’s incursion into Tigray, claims ownership of parts of al-Fashqa, including areas that are within Sudanese territory.
Amhara militias are “asserting a renewed aggressiveness on the border that could result in further provocations,” said Cameron Hudson, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center. “If left unchecked, it represents the kind of ‘low probability, high impact’ scenario that could have devastating and far-reaching consequences.”
Sudan says the border area around al-Fashqa was demarcated under colonial-era treaties dating back to 1902, putting the land firmly inside its international borders. Khartoum has historically allowed Amhara farmers to conduct business and live on the fertile land as long as they pay taxes and operate under Sudanese laws and, in turn, Ethiopia has recognized the land as Sudanese.
Foreign Fighters
The Sudanese border has already been destabilized by the fighting in Tigray. The UN said Tuesday that scores of refugees continue to arrive in Sudan because of persistent violence in the area.“Some 800 people crossed from Ethiopia’s Tigray region into eastern Sudan in just the first few days of the new year,” said Andrej Mahecic, a spokesperson for the UN’s refugee agency in Geneva. “Latest arrivals tell of being caught in the conflict and being victims of various armed groups.”
Despite previous denials, Ethiopian officials have begun conceding the presence of Eritrean troops inside Tigray. Speaking on Tigray’s regional broadcaster, which is now effectively controlled by Abiy’s administration, Ethiopian army Major-General Belay Seyoum said last week that Eritrean troops had entered Ethiopia “uninvited” while federal forces were under attack by Tigrayan troops.
“We feel bad this had to happen,” he said. “We can resolve our internal issues by ourselves. We are capable of doing so.”
Ethiopia Autonomous Media
9th January 2021 at 5:29 pm #650ETHIOPIA FORCES ADMITS TO RAPE IN MEKELLE ,TIGRAY
Ethiopia National Defence Force (ENDF) admits to rape in Mekelle ,Tigray Ethiopia under their watch. Rape is a war crime. What will they and the Attorney General do about it? Investigate and prosecute! And protect civilian population!
So #ENDF admits to rape and #GBV in #Mekelle #Tigray #Ethiopia under their watch. Rape is a #warcrime. What will they and the Attorney General do about it? Investigate and prosecute! And protect civilian population! pic.twitter.com/mPCy6Rbs5f
— Kjetil Tronvoll (@KjetilTronvoll) January 9, 2021
Ethiopia Autonomous Media
9th January 2021 at 5:56 pm #651Eritrea entered the fray in the northern Tigray region
Reports this week of a senior Ethiopian military official’s comments that security forces from neighbouring Eritrea entered the fray in the northern Tigray region backed what U.S. officials and outside observers have been saying for weeks based on satellite evidence.
“The truth of the matter is that many of us knew from day one the involvement of Eritrea. And the involvement of Eritrea was not a unilateral involvement,” said Awet Weldemichael, a professor of history and global development studies at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
“This looks systematic,” Weldemichael told the media, contradicting the Ethiopian government’s stance that Eritrean troops entered the region without an invitation. “The federal government in Addis Ababa seems to be trying to find ways to ease the pressure on itself. None of this massive involvement can happen without proper planning, coordination. And that happens with an open invitation — not only the invitation, but active collaboration staged by the prime minister of Ethiopia and the president of Eritrea, then carried out by their respective senior-most generals.”
Since the conflict in northern Ethiopia began in November, the federal government and the Eritrean government have denied that Eritrean troops were operating on Ethiopian soil.
Major General Belay Seyoum, the leader of the Northern Command of Ethiopia’s National Defense Force, contradicted that stance during a town hall meeting in the Tigray region’s capital, Mekelle, in December. His comments and a video of him speaking at the town hall surfaced earlier on social media and then were published Wednesday in the Addis Standard, a weekly independent magazine, and picked up by international wire services.
“The main mission of the defense force is to protect the sovereignty of the country,” Seyoum said. But he said it is important to understand who crossed the border and killed the troops protecting that border. “A foreign army that is unwanted entered,” he said.
“This is our country,” he said in the video. “My conscience doesn’t allow me to ask for the Eritrean army’s help. This is our internal problem, and we can solve it ourselves. And we don’t have a capacity problem.”
The new Mekelle city mayor with the Tigray Provisional Administration, Ataklti Hailesilassie, also referenced the presence of Eritrean troops.
“We were told word for word that they were working to withdraw them in a short period of time,” he told residents, speaking in Tigrigna. He later said he was repeating what the general said about Eritrean troops when asked to clarify if the discussion was about the Amhara militia or other military personnel who entered the Tigray region during what Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed termed a law enforcement operation.
Accusations of attacks on refugees
Amid the conflict, Eritrean armed forces have been accused by international observers of attacking and abducting Eritrean refugees who live in Tigray. About 96,000 Eritrean refugees live in the region after fleeing their home country.
U.S. Senators Cory Booker of New Jersey and Todd Young of Indiana demanded an end to this activity in a joint statement.
“We are deeply concerned by reports of Eritrean refugees in Tigray being killed, abducted and forcibly returned to Eritrea by Eritrean forces, as well as disturbing reports that some trying to reach safer areas are being prevented from leaving,” the statement said.
Early reports of Eritrean troops on the ground included those from diplomats who cited satellite evidence, intercepted communications and anecdotal reports. Later, a U.S. State Department spokesperson who was asked to verify claims said, “We are aware of credible reports of Eritrean military involvement in Tigray and view this as a grave development.
“We urge that any such troops be withdrawn immediately. We are also aware of reports of human rights violations and abuses in the region. All parties must respect human rights and international humanitarian law.
Rights Groups Sound Alarm Over Safety of Eritrean Refugees in Ethiopia
Reports emerge of Eritrean refugees in Tigray being attacked, abducted and returned to their home country in violation of international law
“We and other international partners continue to urge an independent investigation of the reports and accountability for those found responsible,” the spokesman in an email response. “We continue to urge all parties to restore peace, protect civilians — including refugees — and allow unhindered humanitarian access in Tigray.”Awet told us the cooperation between Eritrean and Ethiopian forces took several forms.
Ethiopia flew soldiers and materiel to Eritrean airfields and then re-entered the country by crossing Ethiopia’s northern border, he said. Early in the conflict, Ethiopian soldiers fled to Eritrea, where they were allowed to reassemble and return to the conflict to launch counterattacks, according to Awet.
Eritrea also offered intelligence and heavy artillery support to Ethiopian forces attacking the TPLF from the north, he said.
Ethiopia Autonomous Media
9th January 2021 at 6:09 pm #652Tigrayans AND FRIENDS OF TIGRAY HELD A SOLIDARITY DEMONSTRATION
Tigrayans and friends of Tigray held a global solidarity demonstration against the invaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea.
ዓለም ለኽ ሰላማዊ ሰልፍ ትግራይ ብድሙቕ ኩነታት ኣብ መላእ ዓለም ተኻይዱ
Tigray may be small to the rest of the world, but to us Tigray is the world.
Global protests!! PERTH for Tigray!!
I stand with Tigray! Stop War On Tigray! Stop Tigray Genocide! Las Vegas
Tigray was already vulnerable to famine due to the desert locust invasion and now approximately 5 million Tegaru are on the verge of experiencing man-made famine due to Abiy Ahmed Ali
& Isaias Afwerki’s invasion.Protests happening through out the world. Justice for Tigray.
Ethiopia Autonomous Media
25th January 2021 at 10:03 pm #654Major General Mohammed Esha and Brigadier General Mulugeta Berhe
The four TPLF’s defense forces who recently gave their hands to the former military generals and officials have arrived in Addis Ababa.
Major General Mohammed Esha and Brigadier General Mulugeta Berhe
The four former generals and officials who arrived in Addis Ababa are Major General Mohammed and Brigadier General Mulugeta Berhe, Colonel Gebrewashid Hailu and Colonel Gebrehekel.
TPLF’s sanction group has been declared to be attacked by the northern defence forces and after that they were defending the defense force.
At last, when the team’s existence is not able to stand the attack, they are forced to give up their hands to the defense force.
Today, the defense force members have handed the military generals to Addis Ababa to the federal police.Ethiopia Autonomous Media
9th February 2021 at 11:02 pm #808President Sahle work crocodile tears
President Sahle work of Ethiopia met strong criticism during her visit to Ayder hospital in Mekele & at her talks with elders there was a strong criticism over Eritrean solders women who lost everything told her her gift of sanitary pads was not acceptable!
What a sadist! She conspires to Tigray Genocide in the name of ‘law enforcement’ , gets them raped and after they are devastated she comes to give sanitary pads.
Ethiopia Autonomous Media
9th February 2021 at 11:15 pm #809armed men broke into the residence Lucy Kassa rents in Addis Ababa
The current aid reporter in Ethiopia was attacked and beaten down in his own home on Monday morning. Three armed men broke into the residence Lucy Kassa rents in the capital Addis Ababa.
The attackers took her PC with them and threatened to kill her if she continued to write about the situation in the war-torn Tigray region.
By Gunnar Zachrisen
They came today while I was at home. Three unknown men knocked on my door, and when I opened they came in and beat me down, Kassa says in an e-mail that was sent a few minutes after the dramatic incident.
Lucy Kassa has been Bistandsaktuellt’s correspondent in the country for two years, and has written a number of articles on the political development in the time before and after the Peace Prize to the country’s Prime Minister Abyi Ahmed.
From individuals in the Ethiopian exile community in Norway, she has occasionally received criticism both for being too critical of the government and too critical of the “old regime” which was dominated by people from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.
Prime Minister Abyi Ahmed’s government and the TPLF are today the two opposites of the Tigray Civil War. It was government forces and TPLF forces that went to war against each other in November last year, after several months of hateful outbursts and growing tension.
Since then, there have been a number of reports that Ethiopian government forces have received extensive assistance from military forces from neighbouring Eritrea. However, spokesmen for the Ethiopian government have refused to give any official confirmation that the former enemy Eritrea is now an ally of the Ethiopian government forces.
Armed, but in civilian clothes
The 29-year-old journalist, who is originally from the Tigray region, says that the attackers came in civilian clothes, but were armed. They did not present themselves and did not show any kind of identification.– They searched the home without having any search order. They threatened to kill me for writing bad stories about Tigray, says Kassa who is unmarried and lives alone.
She says the attackers spoke the local Amharic language. They questioned her about her relationship with the “TPLF junta” and criticized her for spreading lies. – I told them I had nothing to do with TPLF, but they continued to harass me because of my ethnic background. I do not know what they were looking for, but they made a lot of mess in the house. Before they left, they warned me: “Next time we will take you harder.”
Kassa has previously explained that in the shadow of the civil war in Tigray, there is a hateful and tense atmosphere in the Ethiopian capital and that it is especially aimed at people with a Tigray background.
She says she is too scared to inform the police or talk to a lawyer about the attack on her. On the other hand, she believes that international press coverage can be her best life insurance in the current situation, so that those behind it do not dare to attack her again.
Obtained material on controversial topic
Kassa, who has a law degree, started her journalistic career working for an English-language magazine six years ago. Since then, she has worked for several international media, including Al Jazeera, and she has worked on documentaries.For the past couple of weeks, she has been working on gathering information for an article about the situation in Tigray for the American newspaper Los Angeles Times. She sent the article on Saturday, but was in the process of further investigations into the case.
– Pictures I had obtained were from the villages of Fiya K’eshi, Sebya, Kerestber and other small villages on the outskirts of the town of Adigrat, on the way to Zalambessa. There are many Eritrean soldiers there. They live in old, abandoned camps. Others have taken over schools and houses belonging to local farmers. It is in these villages where women are abducted and subjected to gang rape.
The article for the Los Angeles Times mentioned an incident in which a local village woman had been detained for a couple of weeks and repeatedly raped by several Eritrean soldiers. Other women in local villages have also been abducted, according to Kassa.
– I also planned to go to Tigray to investigate allegations of hunger and find out even more about the Eritreans’ behaviour in the area, the young journalist says.
Tronvoll: – Very worrying
One of the world’s leading experts on Ethiopia, Professor Kjetil Tronvoll, is seriously concerned about the freedom of the press in the country.– When Abiy Ahmed took over in 2018, he was praised for releasing all journalists who were imprisoned and opened up for freedom of expression and the press. Already in 2019, a more restrictive line was seen against freedom of expression when new criticism was leveled against the Prime Minister. But especially since the summer of 2020 and the unrest in the Oromia region, and not least since the war against Tigray started in November, freedom of the press and expression has been severely restricted. Several journalists have now been arrested again in the country, Tronvoll says.
He himself knows many Ethiopian journalists and editors who admit that they exercise a high degree of self-censorship, in order to avoid getting into trouble or being arrested.
– It is not possible to talk about positive liberal “reforms” in Ethiopia, as many did when the Peace Prize was announced. They no longer exist, says Tronvoll.
The Norwegian professor is himself incited by Ethiopian authorities and has on several occasions been threatened with death by Ethiopians in exile. The heat has increased since the war in Tigray started in November last year.
The head of the Ethiopian intelligence service INSA, Shumete Gizaw, accused Tronvoll, among others, of being paid by TPLF to spread misinformation about the war in the Tigray region, writes NTB today.
The accusations, which Tronvoll firmly rejects, were disseminated by Ethiopia’s state news agency ENA and were quickly picked up by Ethiopians in exile, also in Norway. It triggered a flood of threats, including death threats, according to the Ethiopian researcher.
Tronvoll is a professor of peace and conflict studies at Bjørknes University College in Oslo and has been researching Ethiopia and Eritrea since the early 1990s.
This is what it looked like after the three perpetrators had searched every closet and piece of furniture in the journalist Lucy Kassa’s apartment. They took with them a PC and pictures she was to use in her journalistic work.
Ethiopia Autonomous Media
16th February 2021 at 12:39 am #866Humanitarian needs in Tigray are overwhelming
Humanitarian needs in Tigray are overwhelming. We urge all parties involved in the fighting to protect the civilian population, to respect health care staff and infrastructure, and to grant access to humanitarian organizations.
ICRC Africa should not shy away to mention exclusively the parties engaged in obstruction of the humanitarian aid. Especially Eritrea’s forces should be mentioned by name. Ethiopia’s and Amhara’s forces are also involved .
Ethiopia Autonomous Media
16th February 2021 at 1:07 am #867Tigray president, Debretsion Gebremichael statement
Tigray president, Debretsion Gebremichael statement
My fellow Tigrayans at home and abroad:
Ladies and gentlemen, first and foremost, I feel greatly honoured to express my respect and appreciation to the people of Tigray from the heart of the battlefield in our defense against the invading forces.Ladies and gentlemen:
We are all aware that a genocidal war is being waged against the people of Tigray because they defied the fascistic decree of the clique led by Abiy Ahmed and held democratic elections as an expression of the right to self-administration, to ensure existence and security, for which the Tigrayan people have vigorously fought.People of Tigray: The enemy has invaded you to deprive you of the right to self-determination and self-rule, which you have bestowed upon yourselves through bitter armed struggle, and to exterminate you as a people by denying your identity and your right to life.
Since Tigray has been invaded by the allied forces of four governments and various regional militia forces, a power imbalance has been engendered between us and the enemy.
As has been already noted, one battalion of Tigray Defence Forces has been fighting against an entire army division of enemy forces, demonstrating extraordinary gallantry.
By making use of the additional capacity acquired from the Northern Command, we have inflicted heavy personnel, material, morale and other damages on the enemy.
Even so, however, due to the aforementioned power imbalance, the enemy has a temporary military superiority. We are working on finding ways to neutralise this advantage in our continued defensive efforts against the enemy.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
What is beyond the comprehension of those who think they can force the people of Tigray back — through harassment, looting or destruction of property — is that there is a fundamental asset inherent to the people of Tigray that they can not take away.The main asset of the people of Tigray is not their material riches; rather it is the inalienable capacity to think, innovate and change that of each and every Tigrayan. This capacity cannot be taken away by any enemy.
The people of Tigray believe in bringing about change not through invading and looting foreign places but through education, progressive thinking, and working day and night.
This capacity – this asset – is something that cannot be taken away by anyone. The lootings will only spurn the people to work even harder to restore what has been stolen in a very short time.
The soldiers and their commanders looting and destroying Tigray might at best succeed in instilling a sense of resentment in the people of Tigray but their stone-age thinking of using destruction to take Tigray back to the past is a day-dream.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Some of the founders of the TPLF, who have led and fought for the last 46 years with an unwavering commitment to their principles, have recently been martyred. Others are still fighting, ready to make the same sacrifice.The martyrdom of these heroes does not discourage us in the slightest; to the contrary it only strengthens our resolve to keep fighting.
They are fortunate to have given up their lives in defense of their principles and their people and it gives us a great sense of honour to have witnessed that. To have been a loyal servant of their people for all these years is a great honour not everyone is lucky enough to experience. Therefore, in the aftermath of the martyrdom of our leaders, our young people are flooding to the battlefields in the thousands, full of purpose and valour to follow in their footsteps.
Respected people of Tigray:
The fascist clique of Abiy Ahmed, the dictatorship of the EPLF and various chauvinist forces have joined forces to commit unspeakable crimes against the people of Tigray, with the intention of exterminating the people.Villages and towns of Tigray are being relentlessly shelled with heavy artillery.
All the properties and assets you have accumulated over the last 30 years through your hard work are being destroyed and looted.
Your children are being hunted down and murdered for no reason. They are murdering those they can murder; exacting pain against whomever they can exact pain; and starving the rest to death by burning crops and properties, not sparing even animal food. And to make sure that those who become ill as a result of the pain and hunger don’t get medicine, they are looting all medical supplies in Tigray, and burning down whatever else remains. It’s a full-fledged attempt to force people to die from lack of medicine.
I call upon the people to unite and overcome against the enemy forces, leaving aside other differences, realising that every day the enemy forces stay in Tigray is an opportunity for them to cause more damage and injustice against the people.
Honourable farmers of Tigray:
Our enemy is trying to subjugate you by committing unspeakable crimes against you. However, you have been exhibiting great perseverance in the face of grave injustice and are registering significant and historical victories with your firm defense against the enemy. You are demonstrating that you don’t waver from your fight in the face of the enemy’s endless cruelty and all the injustice that is being unleashed against you. You are sending your children to the battlefields to fight against the enemy. True to the old mantra “weapons from our enemy; morale and food from our people,” you are feeding and taking care of our combatants. Your unique contribution will always have a special place in our long history of struggle against enemies, and as has always been said by yourself, you have made your village a fortress. I would like to reassure you that we will continue our fight with more determination until victory is guaranteed.Honourable Tigrayans Residing in the Towns and Cities of Tigray and Ethiopia:
Notwithstanding the various crimes being committed against you by enemy forces and the attendant psychological trauma, you have taken the enemy and its agents in stride without flinching even though you are forced to live in their midst. This is something to be proud of. You are conducting a principled struggle by speaking up in gatherings organized by our enemies. We can only say well done! You are reaffirming that the people of Tigray do not hold their head down in the face of an enemy but rather fight for what they believe, come what may, including death.Respected elders, young people, women, intellectuals, public servants, merchants and all others in different walks of life: I call upon you to continue your fight until our enemies are swept away.
Honourable members of the Tigray Defence Forces:
Whether it is our enemies or the invaders, they have come together and they are using everything they have to wipe us out of existence and consign us to the dustbin of history. Even though they have caused an unimaginable amount of injustice and damage up until now, we are proud of the fight you are putting up alongside your people and the legitimate government of Tigray. There is no doubt that you will continue to discharge the oath you have taken to your people and the legitimate government until we fully guarantee our right to self-determination.Honourable young people of Tigray:
In order to wipe the people of Tigray off the face of earth, the enemy and the invaders are mercilessly murdering the next generation of Tigray. in an attempt to deprive Tigray of its brightest. The enemy is killing young people one by one. You have been uprooted from your homes and condemned to the wilderness. You have been forced out of your schools and plunged into darkness. Allowing the enemy to stay in Tigray would mean not only that the enemy would unleash more misery and injustice against the youth but also that the future and existence of Tigray is dark. Realizing this, you have been fighting under the umbrella of “digital weyane” and we are very proud.Honoured women of Tigray
The crimes that are being committed against our women as part of the invasion by the fascistic clique of Abiy Ahmed, EPLF and allied chauvinistic forces to exterminate Tigrayans, is extraordinarily difficult to hear about, never mind to speak about. However, it is important to expose these crimes. Extremely ugly acts of individual and gang rape, by enemy forces arebecoming prevalent. Mothers and their daughters are being raped together. Your beloved children are falling prey to the enemy’s bullet. Your properties and possessions are being destroyed and ruined. Because each day the enemy stays in Tigray is an opportunity for the enemy to inflict more pain and suffering against women, I call upon you to organise and fight; make your villages and towns a living hell to the enemy; encourage all capable people to march to the battlefields.Honourable Tigrayans in the diaspora:
Having fully understood the coordinated and concerted effort by the enemy forces to commit genocide against Tigrayans, you have taken up the role of being voices and ambassadors of your people. We are very proud of that. The struggle has only just begun and will continue until the right of the people to self-determination has been fully guaranteed.I call on you to continue discharging your historical duty of exposing the atrocities of the regime to the international community and to persevere in your coordinated struggle through your time, knowledge and money.
Honourable members of the international community:
The fascist regime of Abiy Ahmed has co-opted Eritrean troops and other foreign powers to exterminate the people of Tigray. They have set out to exterminate Tigrayans by any means necessary – including bullets and manufactured starvation – and are striving day and night to realize that dream. Tigrayans are being mercilessly murdered only because they are Tigrayans. Tigrayan women are being gruesomely raped. Human and democrative rights of the people of Tigray have been totally suspended. The villages, towns, and cities of Tigray are being wantonly shelled with heavy weaponry. Places of worship are being bombarded and desecrated. Historical artifacts and places are being destroyed. Millions of people have been uprooted and subjected to economic and social hardships. Domestic animals have been left without food and a place to stay. In summary, the enemy has unleashed a clearly genocidal war against the people of Tigray. This is a punishment meted out against the people because they elected their leaders in defiance of the regime’s decree to cancel elections indefinitely. I call upon the international community to strongly condemn the genocidal war; to investigate all the crimes that have been committed; to take all possible measures against the invading forces; and, especially, to bring the main culprits of the war – Isaias Afwerki and Abiy Ahmed – to the international court.
Ladies and gentlemen:
Past generations of Tigrayans did not defeat past invaders because of their military might or their arsenal of modern weaponry. Rather, it is because they refused to compromise on their rights and succumb to the enemy’s demands. They faced off enemies safe in the knowledge that they were equipped with a just cause and a sense of purpose. We, in turn, ought to face the enemy with a similar sense of purpose. It is incumbent upon us to honour the dignity and history of the children of Tigray by defeating the enemy by uniting around our purpose and beliefs. We might face problems, ups and downs, but we have to strengthen our capacity to face and defeat any enemy to honour our dignity and ensure our right to self-determination.Ladies and gentlemen:
The enemy has been shocked by our capability to defend ourselves. As a result, the enemy is bombing and invading Tigray afresh, using everything at its disposal. However, we will inevitably destroy the enemy and win. The enemy had better learn from the history of other invaders throughout the world that it is wise to pack up and leave. We would like our enemies and our friends to know that we cannot leave because this is our home and we have nowhere else to go. So, we are not going to flinch from our struggle until we have won. Victory is in our hands.Victory to the people of Tigray and death to the enemies of Tigray.
I thank you
Ethiopia Autonomous Media
25th February 2021 at 8:21 pm #951Accounts of atrocities in Tigray
Accounts of atrocities in Tigray, Ethiopia continue to be reported this week, as communications are slowly restored to the embattled region. The fighting between forces supporting Ethiopian Dictator Abiy Ahmed’s government and forces supporting the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, who long dominated Ethiopia’s government, was declared over months ago by Abiy Ahmed’s administration, but Tigray is still volatile.
The world is clamouring for information about who is responsible for the crimes being reported. Limited access for journalists and humanitarian agencies to places in Tigray contributes to the unclear picture of what is happening there. The Ethiopian foreign ministry acknowledged last week that “rape, plunder, callous & intentional mass killings” could occur in a conflict where “many are illegally armed.”
Dictator Abiy Ahmed, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for making peace with neighbouring Eritrea, denies the presence of thousands of soldiers from Eritrea in Tigray.
The Human rights defenders have reported on increasing witness accounts of atrocities, including a potential massacre of up to 800 civilians in November at the Church of St. Mary of Zion in the ancient holy city of Axum.Ethiopia Autonomous Media
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