borkena
As more stories about the use of women and child soldiers by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) emerge, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Women, Youth and Children is appealing to the International Community to condemn it.
The Ministry on Thursday said that recent reports, video footage and pictures about child soldiers constitute a war crime by the TPLF.
Almeitu Umod, State Minister for Women, Youth and Children State Minister, told State Media ENA that TPLF is recruiting children and deploying them to a war zone – and in the front line.
She added that the TPLF war practice is in violation of international law, but the international community has been watching it silently.
Furthermore, she revealed that the TPLF leaders provide the children with drugs so that they get high before they are deployed in the frontline.
Regarding the plan of action needed, she said, “We have to work to hold the terrorist group accountable for recruiting under aged children for war.”
The TPLF, a party that ruled Ethiopia ruthlessly for nearly three decades as a master of the coalition that it created, EPRDF, rejected a unilateral ceasefire that the government of Ethiopia introduced at the end of last month.
In the last two weeks, it has been conducting wars south of the Tigray region where it took control of Alamata and Korem towns. There are unconfirmed reports that the Ethiopian Defense Force and Amhara region Special Forces took dislodged TPLF forces from the region. It does not seem to be the case as activists, like Dejene Assefa who is from the region , are reporting a fresh massacre in the region.
__
Join the conversation. Like borkena on Facebook and get Ethiopian News updates regularly. As well, you may get Ethiopia News by following us on twitter @zborkena