ኤምበሲው እንኳን ለአንጸባራቂውና ዘመን ተሻጋሪው የኢትዮጵያውያን የአንድነትና የከፍታ ምልክት ለሆነው የአድዋ ድል 125ኛ ዓመት መታሰቢያ በዓል በሰላም አደረሳችሁ እያለ መልካም ምኞቱን ይገልጻል!
Ethiopian Embassy in Washington D.C wishes you a wonderful celebration of 125th Anniversary of Adwa Victory.
Adwa symbol of Ethiopian Unity
Prime Minister Abiy ahmed has held conversation with his Swedish counterpart Stefan Löfven via telephone.
The two leaders discussed a range of issues including bilateral relationship between Ethiopia and Sweden, COVID 19 vaccine equitable distribution as well as national and regional security.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that the ties between Ethiopia and Sweden have preserved since the 1940s and will continue strengthened.
The new U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia, Geeta Pasi has presented letter of credentials to the State Minister of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Redwan Hussein.
On the occasion, State Minister Redwan called on the new ambassador to play her part in cementing the longstanding relationship between the U.S. and Ethiopia.
Ethiopia needs support of countries particularly closer partners like the U.S. to better address the current situation, the State Minister said.
The two also discussed latest development in Tigray region. The state minister briefed the new ambassador on the genesis of the law enforcement operation in the region related to the belligerent act of the TPLF Junta.
Redwan also told the new ambassador that Ethiopia has addressed 70pct of humanitarian assistance in the region and given green light to international media to conduct report on the situation in the area.
The new ambassador of the U.S., Geeta Pasi, to her part pledged commitment to contribute her part in strengthening the relationship between Ethiopian and the U.S.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has extended greetings on the 125th anniversary of Adwa Victory on March 02, 2021.
There is no greater heroism than daring to slay an enemy who fired cannon with only a sword, the premier pronounced.
Victory of Adwa is upshot of heroism, patriotism and art of war of Ethiopians, the Premier said, adding that nothing is greater than putting aside disparity and confront guns and knives of the enemy with deep patriotism.
Ethiopians manifested greater wisdom and bravery in repelling an enemy which built itself with war strategy and conspiracy theory and gained support of others, the Prime Minister noted.
We Ethiopians have many reasons to commemorate the Victory of Adwa in exceptional manner; the one is that the victory has lifted the nation to a higher position that no one can bring it from, the premier said, adding “There were many centuries old attempts for intended to hurl Ethiopia out of the height it gained through the victory. It is our recent history too. But it was impossible for all attempts to divide and conquer Ethiopia have failed.”
“The battle of Adwa brought Ethiopians together better than previous times. That is why many scholars say that the victory laid the foundation for recent Ethiopia. And this is the reason why we say we all are sons and daughters of the Victory of Adwa.”, added the premier.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed further underscored that the Victory of Adwa is a testimony how Ethiopians can position the nation among middle income countries and replace poverty with prosperity through unity.
The Government of Ethiopia’s prevailing focus and priority has been and still is to effectively respond to the humanitarian situation in the Tigray region. In doing so, it continues to collaborate and coordinate its actions with international partners to reach out to every person in need.
It should be noted that the Ethiopian government thus far is covering 70% of the assistance from its resources, while the remaining 30% is shared by development partners and NGOs. So far, the ongoing relief efforts have reached out to more than three million people. Priority is being given to people in vulnerable situations, particularly for women and children.
With the significant improvement in the security situation in the region, the government has now allowed unfettered access to humanitarian actors. It has also put in place an expedited clearance system to remove the bureaucratic hurdles in securing the necessary permits to operate in the region.
Accordingly, the World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director David Beasley has confirmed the important progress that has been made in the humanitarian response, while also underscoring the need to do more. The international community needs to respond to his urgent appeal for more resources to scale up the ongoing relief operations, instead of continuously lamenting the dire humanitarian situation in the region.
On the other hand, the Ethiopian government has made its position unequivocally clear concerning human rights abuses and crimes allegedly committed in the Tigray region. The government of Ethiopia takes its responsibility for the safety, security, and well-being of all Ethiopian citizens very seriously. That is why it is fully committed to undertake thorough investigations to get to the bottom of the issue and bring perpetrators to justice. In this connection, the government not only welcomed the support of international human rights experts but also signaled the possibility of collaboration on joint investigations with the relevant human rights bodies.
Therefore, the government has shown its determination to engage positively and constructively by responding to the two major requests of the international community, i.e., unfettered access for the delivery of humanitarian assistance and independent investigation into the alleged human rights violations and crimes committed in the Tigray region. These are also the main issues raised by the US Secretary of State Mr. Antony J. Blinken in his press statement issued on 27 February 2021.
However, an attempt by the US to make pronouncements on Ethiopia’s internal affairs and specifically, the reference to the Amhara regional forces redeployment in the above-mentioned press statement is regrettable. It should be clear that such matters are the sole responsibility of the Ethiopian government, which as a sovereign nation, is responsible to deploy the necessary security structures and means available in ensuring the rule of law within all corners of its borders. The Ethiopian government, like any government of a sovereign nation, has in place various organizing principles in its Federal and Regional structures which are solely accountable only to the Ethiopian people. The Federal Government is mandated by the Constitution to ensure peace and security against any threats to the Constitutional order of the country. It is in the spirit of this responsibility and holding a nation together from treasonous and divisive forces that the Federal government has been undertaking the rule of law operations in Tigray.
Ethiopia has an unwavering commitment to honoring its international responsibilities, despite the destabilizing nature of the challenges that ensued due to the high treason of a criminal clique. Nevertheless, honoring international obligations and responsibilities should not be deemed by any entity as an invitation to dictate a sovereign nation’s internal affairs.
Spokesperson Office
February 28, 2021
“… We wish to affirm that humanitarian agencies have now been provided unfettered access to aid in the region. Furthermore, the Government of Ethiopia will continue bringing all perpetrators to justice following thorough investigations into alleged crimes in the region through our Federal institutions. In this regard, the Government welcomes international technical assistance to undertake the investigations as well as invites the potential to collaborate on joint investigations.” A Press Statement by OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER OF ETHIOPIA
Following the cold-blooded attack perpetrated by TPLF against the Ethiopian National Defense Forces on 4 November 2020, there was a complete breakdown of law and order in Tigray. The complex challenges in the region are a direct consequence of this treasonous act. None other than the TPLF should, therefore, take the primary responsibility for what subsequently unfolded in the region. This outlaw group has been engaged in ambush, assassination, and other criminal activities.
The whole purpose of the government’s law enforcement operations has been to restore law and order in the region and bring those criminals to justice. These operations were conducted with utmost precaution to avoid collateral damage on civilians and civilian institutions. If at all there is any misconduct by anybody, corrective measures will be taken, and the pertinent Ethiopian institutions, including the Ethiopian Defense Forces are conducting the necessary internal review in this regard.
Allegations of human rights abuses, including sexual violence and other unfortunate incidents related to the Tigray region in general and the city of Axum in particular are indeed matters of grave concern. That is why the government is firmly committed to undertake the necessary investigation and ensure full accountability of all perpetrators. Similar to the massacre in Mai Khadra, the alleged incident in the city of Axum will have to be thoroughly investigated.
It is in this context that a team composed of representatives from the Federal Attorney General and the Federal Police Commission has been deployed in the Tigray Region to carry out its investigative work. The outcome of these investigations as well as the recommendations of the team enables the government to bring the perpetrators to justice and comprehensively address alleged human rights violations and incidents that have occurred in the region. In this connection, it should be noted that 36 people suspected of being directly involved in the massacre of innocent people in Mai Khadra have already appeared before the Federal First Instance Court.
In addition, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission has been investigating and reporting on human rights issues. Its earlier reports including preliminary findings on Axum confirm looting, and sexual violence as well as damages to civilian infrastructures in various parts of the region. The outcome of the investigations by the competent Ethiopian authorities and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission will be publicized to the Ethiopian people and the international community in due course.
Today, Amnesty International has released its report on allegations related to the incidents in the city of Axum. The report raises serious issues that should be of great concern but, obviously the methodology employed in producing the report has its own limitations as it depended on scanty information gathered from refugees in eastern Sudan and phone interview with individuals in Axum. For instance, one of the sources cited in the report is found not to be a priest as he claimed but a deceptive person who lives in Boston.
Therefore, this kind of report based on such sources will not serve the purpose of justice but has the risk of further reinforcing the misinformation and propaganda by TPLF and its cohorts. As the government has been making it clear on several occasions, some of the refugees who made it to eastern Sudan are former TPLF fighters. They are engaged in intimidating refugees and propagating misinformation. That is why it would have been appropriate for Amnesty International to undertake the necessary field work by visiting the region and talking to the competent Ethiopian authorities to uncover the truth.
On its part, the government has expressed readiness to collaborate with international human rights experts in accordance with the principle of complementarity, which gives primacy to national human rights institutions and mechanisms. It is vitally important that other partners work with national institutions, including the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission to further strengthen their capacity in the promotion and protection of human rights in Ethiopia. This is indeed the best way to facilitate a credible, transparent, independent, and impartial investigation of all allegations of violations by all parties.
Finally, now that the security situation in Tigray is steadily improving, humanitarian actors and the media are now given unhindered access to the entire region and expedited issuance of clearance will be implemented accordingly.
H.E. Demeke Mekonnen, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia said any humanitarian agency is now free to get access to the Tigray region and deliver the much-needed relief support to affected people just with prior notification to the government.
The Deputy Prime Minister said this today (February 26) in a phone conversation he had exchanged with the Foreign Minister of Norway, H.E. Ine Eriksen Søreide.
In addition to the much-improved access to humanitarian support in the region, basic services have been restored and salary payment for public servants is being facilitated, he said.
Although about 3.1 million people have been reached for the relief support so far, he said, the government is taking the lion’s share in covering 70% of the delivery of food and non-food items, and support from the international community is much welcomed, including the government of Norway.
Regarding some of the concerns over the violation of human rights in the region, Mr. Demeke said the government of Ethiopia is ready to address the issues where it showed its commitment by deploying experts from the Attorney General office and the Federal Police Force to investigate the matter.
Despite misinformed allegations and inimical media campaigns from some corners, the government is creating a more conducive environment to humanitarian support and is seriously committed to bring perpetrators of any crime in the region to justice, he added.
In their discussion about the situation of the tripartite talks over the GERD, Mr. Demeke reiterated how Ethiopia has been faithfully negotiating with Sudan and Egypt so far and expressed hope that with the Congolese leadership the way forward will be sorted out.
He said the government of Ethiopia hopes to succeed in the negotiation before the upcoming rainy season in Ethiopia where the filling of the dam is scheduled to take place.
The conversation was concluded with a mutual understanding between the two officials.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has held phone conversation with his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau on various issues including national and regional security issues.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said the conversation he held with his Canadian counterpart was productive.
“Canada has always been a strong partner of Ethiopia and we will continue to build on the existing partnership”, underlined the premier.
It is to be recalled that, in response to the use of force and the aggression by the TPLF clique the Government of Ethiopia had to undertake a law enforcement operation within the framework of a State of Emergency.
As part of this operation of the relevant authorities, including the Human Rights Commission, the Federal Police and Attorney General have been conducting investigations relating to the crimes committed and incidents that have occurred in the Tigray Regional State.
As such investigations progress, these institutions have also released to the public their findings. Furthermore, the necessary steps to ensure accountability have also been taken based on the findings of these investigations.
It is expected that those who are suspected of being responsible for the attack against the Ethiopian National Defense Force and those who are suspected of involvement in the massacre committed in Maikadra will face charges before the appropriate courts in the coming weeks.
In line with this commitment for ensuring rule of law and accountability, the appropriate authorities and institutions in Ethiopia will continue conducting investigations to ascertain facts and ensure accountability where it is established that crimes have been committed.
We are aware that such investigations are already underway by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission in relation to some of the allegations and incidents that have been reported by various entities, including crimes of sexual violence and allegations relating to incidents in the city of Axum.
The Commission is undertaking these investigations by enlisting and collaborating with international experts in accordance with the principle of complementarity, which gives primacy to national human rights institutions and mechanisms.
Furthermore, the Federal Police and Prosecutors are also undertaking the necessary inquiry to ensure accountability.
These institutions will continue to communicate to the public their findings and based on these findings the Government of Ethiopia will take the appropriate measures in accordance with the law. While tragic incidents and unfortunate events do occur in conflict situation, the Government of Ethiopia does not condone any act that gratuitously puts the lives of civilians in danger.
