H.E. Gedu Andargachew, National Security Advisor to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed conveyed the prime minister’s message to the president of Djibouti, H.E. Ismaïl Omar Guelleh today (November 16) underlining Ethiopia’s commitment to uphold the rule of law, restore the constitutional order and bring criminals to justice in the operation underway in Tigray.
President of the Republic of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has announced in facebook that he had discussions with the Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister, Demeke Mekonnen and his delegation at Gulu State Lodge.
President Yoweri Museveni stated that their discussion focused on the peace and security issues affecting Ethiopia currently.
“Being one of the oldest countries that was not colonised in Africa, Ethiopia is the pride of the continent.”, President Yoweri Museveni added.
A delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen has been holding official visits to East African countries.
The visit is aimed at explaining the government’s position on the ongoing law enforcement operation against the TPLF junta and its effort to put the plot to destroy the country under control, according to a press release of Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
To make the position of the government clear about the situation and the measures being taken, the delegation will visit more than six countries where it would also deliver the message of the prime minister, it was learned.
The government has abundantly made it clear that the operation will be carried out without any external force intervention to bring the traitor extremists to justice.
The delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen will explain the just cause of the government and rally support for the effort to make the rule of law prevail in the country.
Meanwhile, the ministry has dismissed the fake news disseminated by the extremist group that Uganda would be mediating the government and the TPLF clique, the release said.
The press release underscored that the government would bring the treasonous group that first attacked the national defense force and defied the constitution for quite a long time now to justice and ensure the prevalence of law.
Ambassador Tibor Nagy, Assistant Secretary for U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs tweeted today that “The United States strongly condemns the TPLF’s unjustifiable attacks against Eritrea on November 14 and its efforts to internationalize the conflict in Tigray. We continue to urge immediate action to protect civilians, deescalate tensions, and restore peace”.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen said the operation in Tigray is progressing swiftly with utmost priority given to the protection of civilians.
In areas of the Tigray region that are freed from the TPLF junta, the government is providing humanitarian assistance to the community, he added.
The minister said this while he was presiding over a series of webinar meetings held yesterday with several Ethiopian mission leaders, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The webinar meetings aimed to exchange views on the missions activities regarding the ongoing operation in Tigray.
The mission leaders have presented briefings on their engagements regarding the operation with various concerned bodies at regional and international levels.
The mission leaders said they made the objectives of the operation in Tigray clear enough to all stakeholders.
They said they were able to make relevant bodies understand the federal government’s commitment to end the culture of impunity in the region and bring the criminals to justice.
They said they have continued to inform stakeholders that the operation would soon end, ensuring the prevalence of the rule of law and restoration of the constitutional order in the region.
They underscored that relevant government bodies should continue providing fact-based information about the operation to the public and media outlets.
This would help mainstream media to self-correct itself and come up with balanced journalistic outputs with genuine narratives, they added.
Ethiopian missions and the Ministry should give special attention to combatting disinformation and misinformation on the social media outlets, they said.
In concluding the meetings, Demeke underscored that the missions should encourage the Ethiopian community living abroad to continue their ongoing financial, moral, and intellectual support to the operation.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has said Ethiopia is more than capable of attaining the objectives of the law enforcement operations launched in Tigray regional state by itself.
It is to be recalled that the Prime Minister ordered a military operation against the TPLF Junta after it attacked the national defence force on November 4, 2020.
In a Facebook post, he said “thanks to the exceptional valor and commitment of its sons and daughters, Ethiopia is more than capable of attaining the objectives of the operation by itself.”
The Prime Minister further said that “our campaign in the Tigray region to uphold rule of law is progressing well. Justice will prevail. Ethiopia will prevail.”
“By advancing rule of law and holding accountable those that have been looting, destabilizing Ethiopia, we will lay the foundation for lasting peace and harmony.”
“Those who are committing crimes against humanity and peace will be held accountable. We remain steadfast in our resolve to justice and rule of law.”
Office of the Prime Minister has called on the international community to condemn in the strongest terms possible the massacre committed against innocent civilians in Mykadra by TPLF.
In a statement issued this afternoon, the office also urged the international community to support the Federal Government in its efforts to bring the perpetrators of such gruesome crimes to justice.
“The heinous and reprehensible massacre committed against innocent civilians in Mykadra by TPLF is clearly a grave violation of the most basic norms of international law,” it said.
“Such horrendous attack against civilians is an abominable transgression that the international community needs to not only take note of, but also condemn in the strongest terms possible,” it added.
The statement further stated that “with the public admission yesterday of a senior TPLF member and spokesperson that they attacked the Northern Command of the ENDF, our resolve to apprehend the criminal elements within TPLF is stronger than ever.”
The office said the operation launched to bring to justice any individual or group trying to destabilize Ethiopia will be undertaken with the principle of limited harm to the civilian population.
“With an unwavering commitment, we will see this operation to its end,” the statement said adding “as a sovereign nation, Ethiopia reaffirms its capability and resolve to manage and handle its own rule of law operation without any external intervention.”
The Federal Government will continue to undertake the irreversible task of enforcing the rule of law in the Tigray region, which it commenced following the treasonous attacks by the TPLF on the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) on November 4.
The office finally said that “with overwhelming popular support for the cause of justice and rule of law and through the Provisional Administration of Tigray currently being set up, we are confident that law and order and lasting peace will finally be maintained in Tigray as we accomplish and finalize our operation objectives.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Demeke Mekonnen, and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu spoke over the phone today regarding the ongoing operation in Tigray.
Demeke briefed his Turkish counterpart on the objectives of the Federal Government of Ethiopia in carrying out the current operation.
He recounted how the TPLF junta shamelessly attacked the Northern Command of the Ethiopian Defense Forces and tried to rob military equipment from the base.
The action of the TPLF is not only criminal but also is tantamount to treason since it compromised the sovereignty of the country, he said.
Demeke added the government of Ethiopia is committed to bring the TPLF criminals to justice and restore the rule of law to the region.
Mevlut Cavusoglu, for his part, said the government of Turkey understands the decision of the Federal Government of Ethiopia to take action to maintain law and order in the region.
He expressed his confidence that the operation would end soon and not compromise the safety of civilians.
Upon concluding their discussion, Mevlut Cavusoglu congratulated his Ethiopian counterpart upon his appointment as the Minister of the Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia.
November 15, 2020
Addis Ababa
The Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia continues to undertake the irreversible task of enforcing the rule of law in the Tigray region, which it commenced last week following the treasonous attacks by the TPLF on the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF). With the public admission yesterday of a senior TPLF member and spokesperson that they attacked the Northern Command of the ENDF, our resolve to apprehend the criminal elements within TPLF is stronger than ever.
As the ENDF make further advances, liberating and taking over various areas within the region, the crimes again humanity committed by the belligerent clique has become quite evident. The heinous and reprehensible massacre committed against innocent civilians in Mykadra by TPLF is clearly a grave violation of the most basic norms of international law. Such horrendous attacks against civilians perpetrated by TPLF is an abominable transgression that the international community needs to not only take note of, but also condemn in the strongest terms possible. The international community should also support the Federal Government in its efforts bring the perpetrators of such gruesome crimes to justice.
We are cognizant of the desperate and last ditch attempts to escape accountability that will be taken by the TPLF junta. However, we would like to assure everyone that the operation we have embarked upon to bring to justice any individual or group trying to destabilize Ethiopia will be undertaken with the principle of limited harm to the civilian population. With an unwavering commitment, we will see this operation to its end.
As a sovereign nation, Ethiopia reaffirms its capability and resolve to manage and handle its own rule of law operation without any external intervention. Not only have our National Defense Forces been the pride of Ethiopia, but have demonstrated internationally their professionalism and capacity as peacekeepers deployed to many nations.
The Federal Government is asserting its constitutional mandate to uphold the rule of law according to the laws of the land. With overwhelming popular support for the cause of justice and rule of law and through the Provisional Administration of Tigray currently being set up under the leadership of Dr. Mulu Nega Kahsay, we are confident that law and order and lasting peace will finally be maintained in Tigray as we accomplish and finalize our operation objectives.
14 November 2020
Letter to the Foreign Policy Magazine Editor
Gross misrepresentation of the law enforcement operations in Ethiopia
The piece begins with outright lies from its opening statement onwards. It begins by describing the conflict as if the Prime Minister “launched a war” when in reality it was the TPLF that started the conflict with an organized and premeditated siege and massacre of members of the Military’s Northern Command. This fact is not controversial as TPLF leaders openly admitted that they launched what they described as a ‘preemptive defensive attack’ on the military.
The notion that TPLF is only reacting to provocations completely misrepresents the reality of the last two years. For the first time in thirty years, the threat to peace and to the security of citizens is overwhelmingly posed by entities other than the government. If the government was to be blamed, it would be in failing to neutralize the threat to life and security of citizens from TPLF and other belligerent entities until now. Most citizens bemoan the patience of the federal government in not quickly intervening when pockets of violence emerge.
The piece misses the essential point: TPLF’s calculation in triggering an armed confrontation with the Federal Government is the belief that through an internationally brokered deal and appeal to the highly publicized appeal to the international community, it will be able to secure immunity for its past misdeeds and a power sharing deal that will grant it a position at the center, which exceeds the limited support it enjoys in a country with a population of 110 million.
Finally, the assertion in the article to unseat and/or assassinate a seating Prime Minister of a hundred million people is outrageous in many ways. It is shameful how such an idea was entertained to begin with by what is considered a reputable international magazine. It amounts to condoning war crimes, not to mention that it constitutes an assault against the Ethiopian people and the Ethiopian government.
Ignoring the role of a journalist, or an analyst, whose allegiance must always lie to the facts, the nuances of history, and to a sober analysis that facts and historical context bring to bear, this analysis is an epitome of downright mercenaryism.
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