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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Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Ethiopia, H.E. Demeke Mekonnen, has held a webinar discussion today (November 15) with Ethiopian Ambassadors and mission leaders in the Asia-Pacific countries about the ongoing operation in Tigray.
The meeting sought out to identify successful engagements of the missions in creating awareness about the objectives of the operation among stakeholders while pointing out challenges and chart out future direction.
The meeting reached a consensus that a one-size-fits-all approach in addressing issues of the operation to stakeholders is not fruitful since context differs everywhere.
The mission leaders said the Asian countries understand that the operation in the Tigray region is the internal affair of Ethiopia and should end without alien interference.
The countries also expressed their confidence that the government would give the operation a swift conclusion by considering the protection of civilian lives.
Considering the existence of many Asian investors in Ethiopia, the mission leaders said they addressed the concern assuring that the operation would not target their staffers and economic interests since targets are carefully selected to achieve the objectives of the operation.
In all engagements with stakeholders, said Mr. Demeke, mission leaders should underscore that the operation aimed to restore the constitutional order in the region and bring the criminals to justice.
It is only through implementing this objective that the government could ensure the safety of investors, investments, and people’s right to work and live in peace anywhere in Ethiopia, he added.
Mr. Demeke said mission leaders should make people understand that any responsible government will not tolerate unprovoked attacks on its National Defence Force.
Talking about news outlets, mission leaders said the media in Asian countries do not have a biased narration about the operation in Tigray.
However, some news stories and publications in Asian media are influenced by reports of international media outlets, the mission leaders added.
Mr. Demeke finally said mission leaders should encourage the Ethiopian diaspora to create networks for better information flow regarding the operation.
Ethiopians living abroad are expected to produce journalistic outputs that correct misguided media narratives, he added.
Ambassadors of Ethiopia to China, Japan, Australia (through his representative), Korea, Indonesia, and India, including relevant bodies in the ministry have attended the meeting which was facilitated by H.E. Ambassador Birtukan Ayano.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Ethiopia, H.E. 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 today (November 14) with several Ethiopian mission leaders.
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, Mr. Demeke underscored that the missions should encourage the Ethiopian community living abroad to continue their ongoing financial, moral, and intellectual support to the operation.
The mission leaders have congratulated Mr. Demeke upon his appointment as the minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia.
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia,
OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER
The Ongoing Law Enforcement Operations in Tigray: Causes and Objectives
A. Causes of the Ongoing Law Enforcement Operations: What makes the Law Enforcement Operation directed against the extreme elements of the TPLF clique just and necessary?
The examination of the justness of any law enforcement operation rests on two basic principles: (1) the rationale for taking the law enforcement measures; and (2) the principles governing the conduct of the law enforcement operation.
On the question of rationale, any law enforcement measure is justified if there is a legal basis for it; if the measures are taken as a last resort or in self-defence. Unprovoked aggression is always wrong and makes defensive measures immediately and absolutely necessary.
On the question of the conduct of the operation, the principles of proportionality and discrimination should apply. Proportionality requires that the force used should be proportionate to the goal of the law enforcement operation and, whenever possible, civilians should be spared from violence. There is thus a sound basis to take the law-enforcement measures against the TPLF clique.
(1) Attack on the Northern Command of the Ethiopian National Defence Forces:
In the early morning of 4 November 2020, in an unprovoked act of aggression, the criminal TPLF clique attacked the Northern Command of the Ethiopian National Defence Forces that has been stationed in Tigray since the end of the war between Ethiopia and Eritrea in 2000. The surprise attack was a premeditated and treasonous act in which the TPLF clique ordered ethnic Tigrayans members of the Northern Command, but whose loyalties lay with the TPLF and its murderous mission, to open fire on their comrades from within, causing unimaginable human suffering, demonstrating extreme cruelty, and showing unprecedented betrayal. The current law-enforcement operations shall continue until those who planned and executed such acts of cruelty and betrayal are held accountable.
By engaging in hostile acts against Ethiopia, the leaders of TPLF committed a crime of high treason as defined in Article 248 of the Ethiopian Criminal Code: “Whoever, enjoying Ethiopian nationality or being officially entrusted with the protection of Ethiopian national interests takes up arms or engages in hostile acts against Ethiopia has committed high treason.”
(2) Planning, Training, Financing and Executing ethnic and sectarian conflicts in Ethiopia:
Over the past several months, the TPLF junta sponsored, trained, and equipped anyone that was willing to engage in violent and illegal acts to derail the democratic transition in Ethiopia. Their objective is clearly to make the country ungovernable by instigating clashes along ethnic and religious lines; to sow division and discord so that the democratic transition will lose its momentum. The TPLF clique and its criminal surrogates are responsible for the horrendous crimes in several part of the country, including in Western Gondar, the destruction of the town of Shashemene, and the massacres of innocent civilians in the areas of Arsi, Bale, Benishangul, Gura Ferda and most recently in Western Wollega.
(3) Endangering the Constitutional Order:
The TPLF, acting in blatant violation of the FDRE Constitution, claimed to have adopted its own electoral law, established its own electoral commission, and orchestrated a sham and illegal election in which it won all the seats in the Regional Council. By doing so, the Regional administration showed its contempt for laws of the nation, including the Constitution, and pushed a “de facto” statehood thesis.
Not only did they claim to have established a new administration based on an illegal election, the TPLF clique openly declared that they will not comply with laws, directives, and regulations, among others, to be enacted by the federal government after October 05/2020. TPLF recalled all representatives from Tigray in the Federal House of Peoples’ Representatives and the House of Federation after October 05, on grounds that the Region would not recognize any of the federal state organs.
The attack on the Northern Command of the National Defence Force — a significant portion of the army accounting for the bulk of Ethiopia’s most experienced ground combat forces — was aimed at destroying the capability of the army to safeguard the sovereignty and integrity of the country. The TPLF calculated that by defeating a division with significant firepower, and taking possession of its military equipment, it would shift the balance of power in its favour and remove the federal government by force.
No constitutional order can tolerate such level of treason. That is why the Federal Government was compelled to launch, however reluctantly, the current law enforcement operations to defend and protect the constitutional order and uphold the rule of law.
(4) Corruption and violence Human Rights:
The TPLF’s three-decade rule is characterized by egregious violation of human rights, corruption and self-enrichment at a grand scale. Public investment projects were awarded to members of the regime and the Metals and Engineering Corporation (METEC), which they operated, leading to considerable wastage. Because of METEC’s failure to deliver, the federal government incurred over billions of birr in additional reassignment costs for national projects.
The functioning of a genuine democracy depends on the rule of law. Enforcing the law is essential in order to secure peace, provide public services, and bring about sustainable development.
Rule of law, especially in a federal arrangement such as ours, requires that both regional states and the federal government respect the constitutional division of powers. It is in accordance with this constitutional provision and its duty to enforce federal laws across the whole county that the Federal government is undertaking a strategic operation to end impunity and criminality.
B. Objectives of the Ongoing Law Enforcement Operations
The Government’s law enforcement operations in Tigray are proceeding as planned. From the outset, the operation had limited, clearly defined and achievable objectives: (1) disarming the TPLF junta; (2) restoring legitimate administration to Tigray; and (3) enforcing law and order in Tigray and bringing fugitives to justice. The success or otherwise of the ongoing operations will thus be measured in terms of the attainment of these objectives.
1) Disarm the TPLF junta Under Article 52(2)(g) of the 1995 FDRE Constitution, States within the Ethiopian Federation have powers to, inter alia, “establish and administer a state police force, and to maintain public order and peace within the State”. However, since it lost control of the ruling EPRDF in April 2018, the TPLF leadership has been ensconced in Tigray, plotting its way back to power in Addis Ababa through unlawful means. To this end, the TPLF, the ruling party in Tigray until its legitimate rule ended on 9 September 2020 (when it claimed to have acquired a new mandate to lead the State through unlawful elections conducted contrary to the FDRE constitution), used the ensuing period to build a full-fledged military force larger than the national armies of many, perhaps most, independent sovereign states, complete with mechanized regiments with a capacity that, in the words of the leader of the TPLF junta, was “comparable to or exceeding the firepower of the Federal Government”.
Although the Federal Government repeatedly and consistently declared its commitment to resolve all differences by peaceful means, the TPLF junta pursued a three-pronged strategy to bring itself back to power by unlawful means: (1) recruiting, training, financing, arming, sponsoring and directly executing acts of violence against innocent Ethiopians throughout the breadth and length of the country; (2) building irregular forces; and (3) launching an all-out attack on Federal Defence Forces stationed in Tigray along with attempts at coordinated attacks in all parts of the country.
It follows that the first key objective of the ongoing law-enforcement operations taking place in Tigray is to systematically degrade, dismantle and destroy the fighting capacity of the TPLF and bring the perpetrators to justice.
2) Restore Legitimate Administration to Tigray
Once the illegal army in Tigray is demobilized and the Region is brought within the realm of the Constitution, the next step in the law-enforcement operations will be to establish a legitimate administration in Tigray, capable of enforcing law and order in the Region through a lawful state police force with sufficient capacity “to maintain public order and peace within the State”. In this context, it must be noted that the Region has been without a legitimate State Government since 9 September 2020 when the TPLF junta claimed to have acquired a new mandate to lead the State through unlawful elections conducted contrary to the FDRE constitution.
The alleged regional election had, of course, been declared null and void by the House of Federation.
The House of Federation also suspended the Regional Council and Executive Organ allegedly established following the illegal election and put in their place an interim administration to lead the Region.
From this perspective, the second key objective of the current law-enforcement operations is to root out the last vestiges of the TPLF junta and to create the conditions for the interim administration to take over until the general elections, expected to take place throughout the country mid-2021, are conducted and an elected Regional Assembly constitutes a legitimate Regional Executive for the State of Tigray.
This objective is also currently progressing. In accordance with the decision of the House of Federation for the establishment of a provisional administration that is accountable to the Federal Government within the Regional State of Tigray, pursuant to Article 62(9) of the FDRE Constitution and Article 14(2)(b) of the “Proclamation Governing Intervention of the Federal Government in the Regions”, the Council of Ministers adopted a regulation “Concerning the Provisional Administration of the Tigray National Regional State.” And on the basis of the decision a Chief Executive of the Tigray Regional State Provisional Administration has been appointed.
3) Enforce Law and Order in Tigray and Bring Fugitives to Justice
From the day a new team took leadership of the EPRDF in April 2018, the TPLF effectively designated Tigray as a safe haven for individuals charged with high crimes, including torture, extra-judicial executions, corruption and money laundering. Such notorious criminals as Getachew Assefa, head of the brutal National Intelligence and Security Services for nearly two decades, and several others, who are being tried before the Federal Courts in abstentia, still occupy important party and Government positions in Tigray. The TPLF junta effectively took the people of Tigray hostage, forcing the Federal Government to adopt patience as the only viable policy to protect the civilian population.
From this perspective, the third key objective of the ongoing operations is to enforce law and order in Tigray, bring the fugitives to justice and end the status of Tigray as a safe haven for individuals wanted for the most heinous crimes under national and international law.
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Ethiopia: A New Horizon of Hope