KAMPALA — The Embassy of the Federal Government of Ethiopia has said the ongoing unrest in their country is being over exaggerated in the international media.
The government has been campaigning the Law Enforcement measures in Tigray region, following the attack of the Northern Command of the National Defense force of Ethiopia by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) clique.
Ethiopia has undergone a plethora of changes and reforms in the political and socio-economical flora since the new leadership assumed offices on April 2018. Immediate after assuming the premiership,
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed made a number of reforms including releasing all political prisoners, inviting both armed and unarmed opposition parties, who were in exile, for peaceful and democratic competition, reforming the National Defense force and the intelligence service, breaking the two decades impasse with Eritrea and made a rapprochement.
This however did not go well with the TPLF clique who were unhappy of the reforms as they (TPLF) lost the unfair benefits they used to unlawfully enjoy.
While addressing the media on Friday at her Residence in Kololo, Kampala H.E Alemtsehay Deseret the Ethiopian Ambassador to Uganda said for the last two and a half years, TPLF clique has been feeling clashes along ethnic and religious lines in many parts of the country in order to derail the democratic transition with a mission of making the country ungovernable.
“ To achieve this objective, the TPLF criminals colluded with parties or individuals who were willing to destabilize the country. They violated the Federal Republic of Ethiopia constitution and claimed to have adopted its own electoral law, established its own electoral commission, and orchestrated a sham and illegal election in which it won all the seats in the Regional Council and claimed to establish a new administration,” she says.
Ms Meseret adds that the TPLF clique not only openly declared that they would not comply with laws, directives, and regulations, among others, to be enacted by the federal government after 05 October 2020 but also recalled all representatives from Tigray in the Federal House of Peoples Representatives and the House of Federation after October 05,on grounds that the Region would not recognize any of the federal state organs.
She explains that TPLF crossed the redline by attacking the Northern Command of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces in the early morning of 4 November 2020. This made the Federal government to intervene in order to uphold rule of law in the region.
“The Ethiopian government now has three objectives of combating this crisis. The first is to disarm the TPLF clique that armed itself illegally to breach the peace and security of the country. Secondly, it has an objective to restore legitimate administration to Tigray region in which a decision to put an interim administration is passed by the House of Federation and thirdly is to bring the perpetrators to justice so they can answer charges of high crimes, including terrorism, torture, extra-judicial executions, and corruption,” she said.
Ms Deseret emphasizes that Ethiopia respects neighbours and that is why the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H.E. Demeke Mekonen paid a visit to Uganda recently to brief President Museveni on the ongoing situation in the country. She says unlike some media falsely claimed the visit was intended for requesting mediation for the conflict, the visit was part of high level visits to leaders of neighbouring, Nile Basin and Great Lakes countries in order to explain the ongoing law enforcement operation in Tigray and to convey messages of the Prime Minister Minister as well as for discussions on other bilateral issues.
She says the discussion with H E. President Yoweri Museveni went well and an understanding was reached on the situation. Museveni also expressed his hope that the government of Ethiopia would end the operation in Tigray as soon as possible and peace.
The Federal government was compelled to intervene in the region to maintain peace and order, following the attack of the National Defense forces. The Law enforcement operation has been ongoing with three clear objectives and it will stop when the objectives are achieved.
The execution of the three core objectives is being carried out in consideration of protecting civilians although the TPLF made civilians to be afraid and made them cross to Sudan. The government however working to bring back those fled to Sudan and to reintegrate them in the areas being freed by the National Force and it is also working with UN agencies and other partners for humanitarian supplies.
