The Ethiopian youth in Switzerland has mobilized 35,000 Swiss Francs donation for the Ethiopians internally displaced due to the ongoing war.
They collected the money selling tombola lottery with a motto of “Christmas Gift for my motherland”, according to the information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia. Zenebe Kebede, Ethiopia’s Ambassador to Switzerland has appreciated the contributions of Ethiopians to their motherland and indicating that this was not the first time Ethiopians in Switzerland have supported their country.
He urged them to continue their support and contributions to Ethiopia in an organized manner.
Since Tigray peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) has launched war against the Government of Ethiopia by attacking the military base of found in Tigray region in November 3, 2020, it is estimated that millions of Ethiopians are displaced while tens of thousands from both sides have died.
During the attack on the military base, TPLF has attempted to take over all the heavy artilleries and advance to Addis Ababa to overthrow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed from power. Meanwhile the Ethiopian Army assisted with the Eritrean troops has managed to reverse the threat TPLF posed on the country. It took about one month for Ethiopian forces to liberate the whole Tigray from the TPLF.
The Ethiopian forces have killed core leaders of TPLF, while others are captured alive hiding under the mountains of Tigray. Meanwhile, the remining TPLF fighters turned into a gorilla fighting making hard the efforts of Ethiopian Government to rebuild Tigray region by investing some 100 billion Birr and establishing interim administration for the region.
TPLF, which is currently designated as a terrorist group in Ethiopia, has killed dozens of civilians serving in the interim Tigray administration and other civilians engaged in maintaining telecom, electricity and other basic infrastructures.
As a result, the Ethiopian Government declared a unilateral ceasefire last June and withdraw its troops from Tigray Region. At the time the Abiy Ahmed’s government stated that the unilateral ceasefire will allow farmers in Tigray Region to take advantage of the rainy season and engage in agricultural activities.
Meanwhile, reorganizing themselves TPLF fighters expanded their attacks invading neighboring Amhara and Afar regions. TPLF has brought tens of thousands of civilians to war fronts using human wave war technique, which helped the Front to advance over 400 kilometers away from Tigray Region.
Up until, Prime Minister Abiy joined the army to lead the war on the frontline about a month ago, TPLF was at a distance less than 200 kilometers from capturing the capital, Addis Ababa.
But the decision of Prime Minister Abiy, who is also commander in chief of Ethiopian Army has foiled the attempt of TPLF to return back to power in Ethiopia. Once again, within about one month period, the Ethiopian forces have reclaimed all the territories in Afar and Amhara regions from TPLF.
TPLF was a dominant in Ethiopian politics and economy from 1991 to April 2018. It has lost its dominance in the four-party coalition Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), when the coalition elected Abiy Ahmed from Oromia region following the popular protests that forced the former Prime Minister HaileMariam Desalegn to resign.
Upon coming to power through arms struggle in 1991 with the help of the Imperialist and Arabs camps, TPLF has introduced an ethnic based federal system and regions in Ethiopia. Even though it claims to represent the Tigray people found in the northern part of the country, which constitute about 6 percent of the total population of Ethiopia, TPLF has ruled the country with iron fist for about 27 years.
During its power in Ethiopia, TPLF has killed thousands of civilians who opposed its dictatorship and state-capture rule that put the majority of the economy of Ethiopia in the hands of TPLF affiliates.
Now after liberating the areas in Amhara and Afar regions from TPLF, Ethiopian Government has launched a reconstruction program to rebuild the hospitals, schools, churches, mosques and pother public infrastructures vandalized and robbed by TPLF.
Supporting the efforts of the Government of Ethiopia, Ethiopians in diaspora including the Ethiopian youth in Switzerland have been mobilizing resources as well as protesting the support of some Western countries such as, the United States and European Union to the tersest group – TPLF.