The House of Peoples Representatives, in its 13th regular session held today, approved a resolution passed by the Council of Ministers last week to designate Shene and TPLF as terrorist organizations.
The House approved the resolution with a majority of vote and one abstention.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H.E. Demeke Mekonnen met with the President of the Republic of South Africa, H.E Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa and had a very fruitful discussion on both bilateral and regional issues.
During the meeting, H.E Demeke Mekonnen informed the President on current issues in Ethiopia.
Mr. Demeke updated the President on the ongoing humanitarian assistance in the Tigray region.
He further expressed the work that has been done and the commitment of the government to investigate alleged human rights allegations and bring the perpetrators to justice.
On the AU led trilateral negotiation on the GERD, H.E Mr. Demeke emphasized Ethiopia’s firm commitment to continue the negotiations under the AU framework and reach a mutually acceptable outcome to the three countries.
His Excellency also informed the President the preparation for the upcoming national election to make it free, fair and credible.
Mr. Demeke expressed Ethiopia’s profound appreciation to H.E President Ramaphosa for his leadership in promoting African solutions to Africa’s problems.
The 80th Anniversary of the Patriots Victory Day has been celebrated colorfully around Victory Monument in the capital in the presence of senior government officials and veterans and juniors of the patriots.
The victory Day commemorates gallantry of Ethiopian Patriots in the five years struggle against Italian forces the end of the Fascist aggression in the country.
Deputy Mayor of Addis Ababa City, Adanech Abiebie, addressing the gatherings, said that Ethiopian forefathers and foremothers overcame the well armed fascist aggressor that prepared for 40 years to retaliate the defeat it encountered at the battle of Adwa with unified gallantry and determination.
The sacrifices paid by Ethiopian patriots have made Ethiopia an icon of independence for many African countries and other nations which were under colony and oppression.
Deputy Mayor called upon the youth and the general public at large to preserve the spirit of the victory of the patriots against the Italian Fascist and stand united to defend national interests from both internal and external antagonists.
She also announced that patriots have offered opportunity to get free health care services in public hospitals, and the city administration has decided to allot land to the patriots association in support of its fundraising efforts.
President of the Ethiopian Patriot Association, Lij Daniel Jote Mesfin, public figures and gusts were present at the commemoration of the Victory Day.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed congratulated Ethiopians on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of patriots’ victory day which will be celebrated tomorrow.
In a statement issued today, the Prime Minister said that the day commemorates the victory of Ethiopian patriots over the fascist Italian forces.
“We are learning three things from our patriots while commemorating the day- putting the country first, discharging responsibilities and maintaining unity,” he said.
In his statement, the Prime Minister called upon Ethiopians to join hands to reverse efforts of internal and external enemies of the country.
Tomorrow’s celebration of the victory day will be attended by high level government officials.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed encouraged citizens that have not registered yet to utilise the extended period and get their voters card.
The Prime Minister made the remark during a weekly evaluation of electoral preparations with regional chief administrators and National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE).
“Voter registration is progressing well and I encourage citizens that have not registered yet to utilise the extended period and get their voters card,” the Prime Minister said on his Facebook page
“Security assignments to polling stations will be deployed in the coming weeks. Ethiopians are ultimately the builders and guardians of democracy,” he added.
The Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia has learnt with disappointment of the decision of the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to cancel the deployment of its observation mission for the upcoming general elections.
All possible efforts were made by the Government to conclude the Administrative Arrangement for the deployment of the mission, but these were to no avail.
When the EU requested to observe the 6th national elections earlier this year, the Government of Ethiopia immediately accepted and started negotiating in good faith on the draft agreement for the deployment of the observation mission.
All concerned government institutions and the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) were engaged in the process, and while work was underway to finalize the agreement, the government also welcomed and facilitated the visit of the Exploratory Mission of the EU to Ethiopia two month ago.
The Exploratory Mission had a productive stay and held discussions with various stakeholders. This was the impression the government obtained from the Mission upon the completion of its work and whose recommendations later on led to the decision by the EU to deploy the observer mission.
While the Government was working tirelessly and expeditiously hoping to reach an agreement on the modality of the deployment, it is very unfortunate to have learnt that the issue of communications equipment was put forth as a deal-breaker for the EU to observe one of the most hoped-for democratic elections in the country’s history.
The Government of Ethiopia, from the beginning, has made it abundantly clear that VSAT services can only be provided by the Ethio-telecom while accepting additional requests by the EU to import related equipment.
As an important strategic partner and staunch supporter of the reform process, this demand by the EU has come as a surprise to the government of Ethiopia, as none of these elements were a bone of contention in past elections. At a time when the telecommunication infrastructure in Ethiopia has made huge strides employing the latest available technologies, questioning the effectiveness and efficiency of its services is not a convincing reason to take the hasty decision of cancelling the mission’s deployment.
In the same vein, the EU has also rejected the proposal by the Ethiopian side to include in the agreement that statements or public comments by the observer mission prior to the issuance of its preliminary findings and conclusions not be prejudicial to the election process or influence the perception of the public, on the result of the election to be announced only by NEBE.
This concern stems from the fact that in the past, such pronouncements by other EU observer missions had serious repercussions on the country as a whole.
The Government is committed to make the upcoming elections free, fair, and democratic and is determined to continue working with all stakeholders to make it so.
While external observers could add some value to strengthen the quality of electoral processes, they are neither essential nor necessary to certify the credibility of an election. The validity and legitimacy of Ethiopia’s election is determined solely by Ethiopian laws, Ethiopian institutions, and ultimately, by the people of Ethiopia.
In a press briefing held today, Spokesperson of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Dina Mufti condemned Sudan’s claim over Benshangul Gumuz Region.
Ambassador Dina Mufti briefed local and international media on latest development in Ethiopia.
On the briefing session, Ambassador Dina noted that Sudan is recently issuing controversial statements regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
Besides the encroachment it did on Ethiopia’s territory, Sudan is engaged in unlawful activity claiming Benshangul Gumuz, the region where the GERD is being constructed as its land.
The spokesperson reaffirmed Ethiopia’s unwavering stance regarding importance of the trilateral meeting on GERD.
Spokesperson Office briefed resident ambassadors of Asian countries on the Ethopia-Sudan border dispute, trilateral talks on GERD and rehabilation and humanitarian activities in Tigray Region.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia had to issue this press statement because of the unwarranted, provocative and increasingly bellicose propaganda campaign by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Sudan against Ethiopia. Ethiopia has for long refrained from reacting to the numerous fabricated stories appearing in the press statements of Sudanese institutions and remarks by government officials taking into account the historic and fraternal relations between the brotherly peoples of Ethiopia and the Sudan. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia with a view of putting the record straight would like to make the following points very clear to the brotherly people of the Sudan and the international community at large.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Sudan in its press statement issued on 1st May 2021, has once again attempted to mislead the people of the Sudan and the international community on issues related to the Ethiopia-Sudan boundary and the trilateral negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Ethiopia, as an old independent and sovereign country, has time tested reputation in respecting international treaties and obligations it has signed.
The unfounded statement of the Sudanese Foreign Ministry only aims at covering up the continuing aggression committed by the Sudan since 6 November 2020, in violation of international principles, bilateral agreements and established joint boundary mechanisms. The unprecedented hostile military actions by the Sudan, the current Chair of our regional organization, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), has resulted in the looting and burning of properties, killing of civilians as well as, the displacement of thousands of Ethiopians.
Ethiopia strongly believes that all the recent actions and vitriolic propaganda campaigns of the Government of the Sudan against Ethiopia do not reflect the wishes and aspirations of the peace-loving people of the Sudan. Ethiopia has been consistently calling the Government of the Sudan to reverse its aggression and resolve the boundary issue in accordance with bilateral agreements and joint boundary mechanisms to finalize the re-demarcation process.
The reference in the Sudanese statement to the Benishangul Gumuz Region of Ethiopia is indeed utterly ridiculous. It is common knowledge that Ethiopia’s historic territories in the west would have been extended beyond what is now Ethiopia`s boundary if it was not for the existing boundary agreements.
The attempt by the Government of the Sudan to mix the boundary treaties with the unjust, exclusive and colonial-based bilateral “agreements” on the utilization of the waters of the Nile is regrettable. As far as Ethiopia is concerned, it has repeatedly expressed its position regarding those colonial-based agreements, whose sole aim was and still is to deny the rights of upper riparian states, including Ethiopia, to use the waters of the Nile. Ethiopia, therefore categorically rejects any and all attempts to preserve a self-appropriated water quota among the downstream countries. The insistence of downstream countries to monopolize the waters of the Nile and politicization of technical issues are the main challenges that the trilateral negotiations have faced.
Ethiopia calls for the peaceful resolution of the boundary issues with the Sudan based on the existing joint boundary mechanisms and finalizing the trilateral negotiations on the GERD in accordance with the Declaration of Principles (DoP) of 2015. In fact, it is not clear, to whose interest that the current authorities in the Sudan have suddenly changed their position, although they had repeatedly pointed out that the GERD has enormous benefits to the Sudan.
Ethiopia highly values the historical and brotherly relations that exist between the two countries and thus still committed to address all related issues through dialogue and negotiations. It once again calls upon the Government of the Sudan to desist from an unhelpful campaign and commit itself to dialogue and peaceful resolution. In this connection, Ethiopia looks forward to the engagement of the international community in encouraging the Sudan towards a peaceful resolution of the dispute.
Spokesperson Office
04 May 2021
The Council of Ministers has approved a resolution designating the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and Shene as terrorist organizations.
In a statement issued today, the Council blamed the two organizations for the attacks carried out in various parts of the country targeting civilians to derail the reforms introduced over the past three years.
In the last three years, there have been a number of attacks on civilians in various parts of the country to reverse the reforms that have taken place through the demands and struggles of the Ethiopian people for democracy and human rights.
As a result, many lives have been lost and maimed, citizens have been displaced and properties were destroyed. These attacks have left society in constant anticipation of danger and tear, undermine trust in the government and among the people. Various evidences point to the existential threat faced by the state as a result of these organized actions.
These attacks have been perpetrated against innocent civilians and through the destruction of public infrastructure for political purposes and to achieve political goals or objectives.
These attacks, which have been taking place in different parts of the country, have had different perpetrators. But behind the attacks are groups that have played a leading role in orchestrating, funding, providing ideas, training culprits, providing media coverage and assistance.
It is also clear that these groups are being exploited by foreign forces seeking to weaken, disrupt and dismantle Ethiopia. The crimes that these entities have committed and perpetrated are acts of terrorism.
It is easy to see that these activities fully comply with the definition of terrorism under Article 3 of Proclamation No. 1176/2020 on the Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism Crimes. Instead of individually holding accountable members and supporters of these organizations for their terrorist activities, designating the organizations as terrorist organizations according to the law is deemed more practical to better control and prevent acts of terrorism.
Therefore, in accordance with Articles 18 and 19 of Proclamation No. 1176/2020 on the Prevention and Suppression or Terrorism Crimes, and since “Tgray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF)” and “Shene” operate as terrorists and their management or decision-makers have acknowledged or are leading destructive activities on the nation, and since terrorism is a general feature of the organizations, a resolution has been tabled to designate these organizations as terrorist organizations.
In accordance with Article 23 of Proclamation No. 1176/2020 on the Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism Crimes, this decision will become applicable to organizations and individuals who collaborate, have links with or relate to the ideas and actions of the designated terrorist organizations and others who have engaged in similar activities.
