The number of people displaced by TPLF, the latest military campaign in the Afar region, is over 300,000. People’s livelihood in affected parts of the region are devastated
borkena
Ethnic Afar activists, some of them were opposition party leaders, on Saturday organised an online discussion on the situation in the Afar region, Ethiopia.
It was on Twitter Spaces platform. The event that lasted well over three hours attracted hundreds of politicised Ethiopians in the country and abroad, including prominent activists like Obang Metho.
The image that emerges out of it is a grim one. The TPLF has escalated, according to witnesses from the region, military attacks against innocent civilians in the parts of the region adjacent to the Tigray region like Berhalle and Konnaba.
The number of people displaced due to the military attack is now well over 300,000 as indicated in the discussion.
TPLF military leaders are intimidating residents in the affected area that they “will either cooperate with the TPLF or they will be decimated.”
The designated terrorist group has been accusing of Afar people of blocking aid to the Tigray region, which does not seem to be the case based on information from the regional government authorities.
Some activists pointed out that the latest escalation did not happen abruptly. TPLF has been preparing for it for a long time, to the point that it is impossible for Federal government authorities not to notice it.
The sentiment among Ethiopians who participated in the event is that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government has deliberately ignored the plights of Afar people in the areas mentioned above.
While acknowledging humanitarian support, which is not adequate, to the region by Ethiopians and government bodies, activists say no Federal military support was despatched to support special forces and militia from the region who had to battle TPLF forces that are rather heavily armed with long range artillery.
Some participants who are from the Afar region of Ethiopia even used the term “betrayal” to describe government inaction to reverse the TPLF attack.
The National Security Council, whose chairman is the Prime Minister himself, had a meeting some time last week. It called the TPLF intensive military activity in the Afar region as “provocation.”
It was also said that direction was given to the Ethiopian Defence Force (the Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff were part of the meeting) to take action against TPLF.
However, there does not seem to be a military response to the TPLF in the Afar region at this writing.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government hesitancy in terms of taking decisive action against TPLF is triggering skepticism whether there is real interest on the part of the government to deal with the security problem that the designated terrorist group is posing to the country, particularly in the Afar and Amhara regions of Ethiopia.
__
Join the conversation. Follow us on Twitter @zborkena to get the latest Ethiopian News updates regularly. Like borkena on Facebook as well. To share information or for submission, send e-mail to info@borkena.com
What the hell! The worse kind of PM, Generals, Marshal Field that is not leading his troops . I Inept Commander and war strategy the main cause for thousands Afar and Amhara people, death, rapes and economic destruction.
For what appears to be true is that he is preparing Terrorist TPLF to invade and keep Afar and Amhara land. Therefore he deserve no respect or to be listen to. Afar and Amhara people must find ways to protect and help each other by designing and following their own plan
Secret meeting with TPLF in Nairobi Kenya and Middle East is in progress. Abiy the coward lair has betrayed Afar and Amhara to keep fighting by depriving modern war weapons and reinforcement from the Federal Army while TPLF Terrorist attaching with heavy and modern weapons’. . He is boasting as the war is over and won and gave himself and excuse to travel and conspire in Middle East with Middle East leader and TPLF Terrorist leader.
At this moment he Abiy has forfeited his sworn main duty! To protect the country and people from unlawful Terrorist invasion and to communicate in a clear and honest way.
His has agreed to give TPLF Terrorist part of Afar and Amhara land what TPLF wanted the most. This time Ethiopians espically Afar and Amhara
The feeling of betrayal is justifiable. It seems that the attention of the Abiy government at the moment is on the summit of the African Union. The government has released some TPLF leaders as a gesture of good will but the release does not seem to deter the TPLF from invading and attacking the Afar. It is not in the nature of the TPLF to stop wars as a result of such gestures of good will or offers for peaceful resolution. On the other hand the Abiy government could under pressure from the international community to resolve the conflict. The front line regions of the Afar and Amhara could lose confidence in the federal government and opt for organizing their own defenses including imposing total blockade on the Tigray region as long as the TPLF continues its hostilities. Total blockade will be the option if the government shows some signs of indecisiveness in the conflict and emboldens the TPLF. The security and well being of the peoples in Afar and Amhara regions should not be sacrificed for the security and well being of those in Tigray. All citizens are equal and have the same rights to live and security.
It is better for a few people in Afar to be displaced for a time, than to kill the TPLF military and send them to Hell for eternity. There is a spiritual battle here and not just a physical battle.
The Ethiopian Army is not strong enough to defeat the TPLF. The best they can do is contain them, and slowly wear them down over many years.
I was told he was waiting for the end of the AU summit. Now that is over, I am not sure what he is waiing for. It’s sad, the people of Afar saved his government and probably his life by gallantly fighting or checkmating TPLF from taking over Mele or the railroad. Now he is not even responding to their call for help. It’s sad and very disappointing.
There is absolutely no excuse for the federal government not lending a helping hand to the valiant fighters of Afar. There is no need to send a whole division, but a smaller contingent of well-trained and well-armed soldiers could do a great difference in this war of attrition instigated by the TPLF. Because the TPLF is unable to negotiate in good faith and its aim is no less than the destruction of Ethiopia, it must be fought with all the means at Ethiopia’s disposal, at all times and in all places.