Wednesday, May 31, 2023
HomeEthiopian NewsEthiopia's parliament decision on TPLF causes concern among Ethiopians

Ethiopia’s parliament decision on TPLF causes concern among Ethiopians

Parliament’s decision met with skepticism from Ethiopians including activists and some opposition political parties  

Ethiopian Parliament TPLF
Ethiopian Parliament building (Photo : PD/file)

borkena

The TPLF is once again dominating news headlines as a series of developments are happening. It is not even a week since the United States Secretary of State returned from a working visit to Ethiopia.  

Former TPLF spokesperson, Getachew Reda, had to travel to Addis Ababa to meet with Anthony Binken. In the next few days after the meeting, he emerged as the president-elect of Tigray regional state. The Federal government will have to approve it, based on the Pretoria agreement, and the prediction is that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed will approve it. 

On March 20, 2023, Mr. Blinken released a statement claiming that war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing were committed in the course of the war in North Ethiopia. The United States absolved TPLF from “crimes against humanity” (much of it had something to do with the weaponization of sexual assault)  and “ethnic cleansing” accusations. Mr. Blinken linked those crimes, alleged one, to Amhara forces, the Ethiopian Defense Force and Eritrean Defense Force. 

And today, the Ethiopian parliament passed a decision to lift the designation of the TPLF as a terrorist force.  The House designated the TPLF as a terrorist force in May 2021 after the group carried out extensive destruction in the Afar and Amhara regions of Ethiopia apart from the attack on the Northern command of the Ethiopian Defense Force in November 2020 which triggered the war. 

TPLF _ parliament _ Terrorism
Tesfaye Beiljige, government representative in the parliament (Photo : screenshot from Fana Video)

Ethiopian government-controlled media said the decision was based on majority votes.  Sixty-one members of the parliament voted “No.”  and there were five abstain votes. 

There are reports that some members of the parliament had a five hours long consultative meeting in the parliament a day before the parliament passed the decision. 

The Ethiopian government is manifesting a belief that lifting TPLF’s designation as a terrorist organization is something that fosters the actions that have been taken so far ( after the November 2023 Pretoria Peace agreement) along the path to peace.  It hopes to turn its “focus on development.” 

However, there are voices who tend to reject the parliament’s decision (without forgetting the sentiment that government executives have developed a strong influence on the parliament)  as undesirable given the experience with the unpredictability of TPLF on matters of peace. 

EZEMA, an opposition party, has issued a stern statement opposing the parliament’s decision. Mulualem Tegenework, the party’s PR, told EMS service that the decision from the parliament will not bring about lasting peace, relief to Ethiopians or legitimacy – as claimed by government bodies.  

Recalling the fact that it is the TPLF that started the war, EZEMA pointed out that TPLF is not fully disarmed. He also talked about other issues including accountability on questions like who ordered the sudden attack on the Northern Command of the Ethiopian Defense Force, which triggered the war, and whether the Ethiopian Defense is currently in full control of the Tigray region or not as lacking transparency. 

Enat Party, another opposition party, seems to have a similar stance that the decision from the parliament is undesirable. Getnet Worku, party secretary, raised questions about transparency. He said the Pretoria agreement set preconditions for the TPLF. However, there is no transparency on its implementation. Ethiopians are not informed as to which ones are implemented and which ones are not implemented. 

Mr. Getnet speculated, apparently, he is sharing the views of his party, that the TPLF did not disarm between 60 and 70 percent of arms. He said it has already started a military move in the Wolkait area. For him, there is no guarantee that the TPLF will not start a war in the Wolkait and Raya areas. 

Activists who have been supporting Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s administration for nearly five years have recently questioned his unprincipled move along with total rapprochement with the TPLF. 

Neamin Zeleke, who was very vocal against the TPLF’s attacks first on the Defense Force and then Afar and Amhara region, called the parliament’s decision “The March of Folly.” He sees lifting TPLF’s terrorist designation before the complete implementation of the peace agreement as something that exposes the people to another danger 

He is not alone. Many politicized Ethiopian activists on social media are expressing concern. Some see the development as the work of the United States. The United States is seen as a force that took the lion’s share of the work in terms of rescuing the TPLF as an intact political entity. The TPLF has been a client of the United States, whose hegemonic power if facing a serious resistance the world over, for well over four decades now. Eritrea, in a statement issued this week, said the latest statement from the State Department emboldens the TPLF.

Others see the development as an indication of the emergence of a new alliance between the TPLF and the radical ethnic Oromo nationalist forces who are believed to be dominating power to the extent of running a “deep state.”

A recent revelation from the government of Eritrea indicated that nearly 3000 members of the Northern Command of the Ethiopian Defense Force were massacred when the TPLF leaders ordered a sudden attack on November 20,2020 – an incident that triggered the two-year’s bloody war. 

__

To share information or for submission, send e-mail to info@borkena.com 

Telegram Channel : t.me/borkena

Business Listing 

Ethiopian News Video

Join the conversation. Follow us on twitter @zborkenato get the latest Ethiopian News updates regularly. Like borkena on Facebook as well. Subscribe to YouTube channel

advertisment

8 COMMENTS

  1. What else did one expect from the back stabber in chief and the fake and impostor masquerading as pm of all Ethiopians.

    This is all to be expected. The abiy regime has lost the political center. Its approval rating is estimated by the various mathematical models to be at most 20 %. THAT MEANS 8/10 ETHIOPIANS DO NOT TRUST AND DO NOT ACCEPT THIS REGIME.

    Ethiopians should thank the opposition parties for their correct analysis, for their principled vote in parliament, and call on the move by the abiy ahmed dominated pp.

    All Ethiopians should remember one basic fact, the pp whose chairman is abiy ahmed controls 97% of the federal parliamentary seats, 100% of the Addis Ababa regional seats, 100% of regional seats in so called oromia, and nearly every other region in the country.

    So in a nut shell, abiy ahmed has failed to protect the sovereignty and independence of Ethiopia, the nation he swore to protect and defend.

    ABIY AHMED AND HIS PP TOGETHER WITH THEIR TPLF FORMER MASTERS AND CURRENT ARM TWISTERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR 100% OF ALL THE PROBLEMS IN ETHIOPIA!!!!!!

  2. Members of genocidal party named Ezema, Enat party and their supporters in and out of Ethiopia are terrorists. It should be noted that all people who oppose the removal of TPLF from the terrorist list are enemy of amhara. These evil, wicked people want to keep the hostility between Amhara and people of Tigray active and remain to be a ground to resume further physical and verbal attack against the entire people of Tigray under the pretext of few leading figures of TPLF.

    It is an undeniable fact that is backed by the majority of Tigrayan population. Hence, you, the aforementioned terrorists, want to relaunch offensive attack against the entire people of Tigray. You are complaining about the disarmament of TPLF; you have organized and fully armed yourselves to wage another round civil war using several alleged reasons by playing religious , & victim cards.

    For how long do you want to remain stubborn and jealous of peace and development of non-Amhara ethnic members? You better keep your feet where you are, don’t invade another land and keep wailing constantly after receiving ahuge blow on your head, sincere advice to the above terrorist amhara parties and terrorist migrants in USA like Neamin Zeleke, prof Al Mariam, Dr Yonas Biru, desalegn Chane, etc.

    Eritrean army and Higdef are terrorists!!!

    Mahibrekidusan is a terrorist amhara association playing religious cards. Zehabesha.com is a terrorist media!!

    • Do not combine the wider population of Tigray, with the terrorist & thief TPLF that has forced their young children to go to war and die, so that TPLF stays in power and keep-stealing resources that is supposed to be given to those who need it… including AID assets (food, fuel, tracks etc. ) that the UN had in its distribution center in Tigray …

      TPLF is terrorist to the people Tigray, it itself.
      It is US’s foot solder, just like ISIS, Boko haram, Al-Shabaab, Al Qaida… and more… (their days are numbered, both father and children ) .

      Be well.

    • You sound like an attention seeker. Inferiority complex is a tragic feeling and it seems like those Amharas are in your head day and night. sorry man, i have seen your comments a couple of times and you are always crying foul about Amharas. life is short do something productive. Hate creates mental diseases and take care yourself.

      • “Be strong” , you cannot “be” what you are not, if you feel weak, you feel weak (“Inferiority complex”).

        Amhara does not consider anyone walking the Earth to be better than or above him, or below him or “inferior” to him, but cannot help if some do.
        Because “inferior” feelings are self inflicted and personal (internal), based in one’s “feelings”; and feelings are personally made not given by others.

        Brother/sister, do not consider anyone is above you, or below you!!!
        You are “eternal” !

        Be well,

  3. The aspiration and demand of the Tigrayans for independence should be respected by all sides in the conflict. Now there is not any other choice for the Tigrayans than standing together and go for independence. Or else the TPLF itself will lose legitimacy in Tigray and be discarded. An old, modern, unique and civilized nation like Tigray should join the world of modern and developed countries. This should happen peacefully but if denied the Tigrayans have every right to raise arms and fight. They will win.

    • Yeah, you mean to be “liberated” like Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Vietnam, Yugoslavia, now Ukraine…

      No, No, No, that is not the “aspiration and demand” of the population of Ethiopians living in Tigray, it’s the “aspiration and demand” of a handful-relatives from one village, the thief’s & terrorists like TPLF that lie to represent them, they do not.

      Sooner or later Ethiopians everywhere are going to witness TPLF exposé its true color once more stealing-resources pocket them as usual within their small group, while the wider population is left to suffer on its own, as did since 1991.

      Be well.

  4. “Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has bristled over his government being accused by the US State Department of human rights abuses, and dismissed his country’s neighbors to the north as “liars.””

    “That’s just how they are.” The US believes “it’s the government of the world.””

    Source = https://www.rt.com/news/573397-mexico-calls-us-liars/

    Satan’s children are exposed by all….

    Even Satan himself has ben saying way before 1776 (after the extermination of Native Americans ) :
    “… these are even worse than I, with their ruthlessness, cruelty, and lies with their eyes wide shut”…

    Their end is near, so are their “puppies days ” everywhere…

    Be well.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here