The Council of Ministers of Ethiopia on Wednesday approves 122 billion Birr additional budget. The proposed additional budget by the Ministry of Finance of Ethiopia will be invested in the rehabilitation and reconstruction works of public infrastructures damaged by the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) in Amhara and Afar regions. The additional budget will also be used to solve shortage of finance in Government system occured as a result of the war.
After expanding its invasion since June 2021, TPLF has vandalized and looted hospitals, and thousands of health centers and schools in Amhara and Afar regions. In addition, it is also reported that private businesses are looted and damaged by the TPLF, the group designated as a terrorist group by the Ethiopian Parliament. The additional budget endorsed by the Council is referred to the Ethiopian Parliament for final approval.
TPLF, which was a dominant in the ruling coalition in Ethiopia from 1991 to 2018, came to power through arms struggle. During its close to three decades of governance, TPLF has introduced an ethnic based federal system securing its minority iron fist rule on the over 100 million people of Ethiopia.
Thousands of Ethiopians who opposed the oppression, mass killings, and mega corruption and looting of the nation, are killed while tens of thousands are exiled.
The tactic TPLF has used to dominate Ethiopian politics and businesses include creating amenity between different ethnic groups in Ethiopia mainly the two major ones, namely the Oromo and Amhara, which represent 60 to 65 percent of the total population of Ethiopia.
In its 1976 manifesto the TPLF has clearly indicated that the Amhara are the enemy of non-Amhara ethnic groups and tribes found in Ethiopia and must be fought by all other ethnic groups in Ethiopia. Established to create Tigray Republic, TPLF described its struggle in the manifesto as anti-Amhara.
Meanwhile coming to power in May 1991 with the help of the Western Imperialist countries, TPLF has ignored its session plan for Tigray region and ruled Ethiopia until the ruling coalition surprisingly ended its power in April 2018 by electing Abiy Ahmed from Oromo ethnic group as its chairman.
Abiy Ahmed came to power after years of popular protests across the country against TPLF dictatorship and looting, which forced the former Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn to resign.
Disappointed by the unexpected loo of economic and political dominance in Ethiopia, TPLF walked out of the ruling coalition – Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front – EPRDF. The old guards in TPLF refused to hand over their members who are implicated in severe human rights violations, torture of civilians and those who orchestrated assassination attempt on Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in Addis Ababa.
Finally on November 3, 2020, TPLF has attacked Ethiopian military base found in Tigray region killing some six thousand soldiers who refused to collaborate with its treasonous act.
As admitted later by TPLF officials on Tigray TV, the aim of the attack was to take control of the heavy artilleries found in Tigray and march to Addis Ababa and overthrow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed from power.
Responding to the TPLF treason, the Government of Ethiopia with the assistance from the neighboring Eritrea has managed to oust the TPLF from Tigray region while killing and arresting some of the top leaders of the Front.
By establishing an interim government in Tigray region, the Government of Ethiopia has spent some 100 billion Birr for reconstruction and rehabilitation of the war-torn region.
Meanwhile, the effort of the Government was not much successful as the TPLF insurgents engaged in ambushing and killing civilians who were working to reconstruct the damaged infrastructures in the region.
At the end of June 2021, the Ethiopian Government announced a unilateral ceasefire and withdraw its troops from Tigray Region. The justification given by the Government at the time was to give an opportunity for the farmers in Tigray engage in farming activities using the rainy season.
Meanwhile TPLF regrouped and organized itself has launched war using human wave war technic. It has expanded its invasion in Amhara and Afara regions of Ethiopia where its has stayed three weeks to five months engaging in looting and vandalizing public and private properties, including shooting cattle, rapping and killing civilians.
During this period TPLF officials stated that they are planning to capture the capital Addis Ababa as advised by the United States Government.
Finally, about a month ago, Prime Minister Abiy has announced that he will lead the battle on the war front joining the army. Following his decision, the Ethiopian troops has managed to fully liberate all the areas in Afar and Amhara region from TPLF invaders.
Now the 122 billion Birr, which Ethiopian Parliament is expected to approve, is aimed at rebuilding and rehabilitation of Afar and Amhara regions where several million people are also displaced because of the invasion of TPLF.
It is recalled that for the current Ethiopian calendar year started July 8, 2021, the Ethiopian parliament has approved a total of 561.7 billion Birr national budget.
