The Government of Ethiopia today said the leaders of Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), which have been engaged in a military confrontation with the federal government army has used teenagers as soldiers.
Briefing journalists on the current military operation in Tigray Region, Ambassador Redwan Hussien indicated that the children used by TPLF as soldiers shouldn’t even be allowed “to watch a war movie let alone to be engaged in a war”. Commenting on the causalities so far, “…We also have some causalities from the TPLF side. But we don’t be happier to report it. Because it is very much heart tugging.
Most of them are teenagers…Any responsible parent wouldn’t allow these children even to watch a war movie, let alone to train them, and send them to kill somebody, and their forehead for a bullet. It is very much irresponsible…This is a crime by itself,” said Ambassador Redwan, who is recently appointed as head of the information flow on the current operation in Tigray after he returned from Asmara, Eritrea, where he was serving as Ethiopian Ambassador. “So even if you kill them, you don’t feel happy. They are our children. They are our brothers and sisters,” he said.
He also stated that because of the blackout of electricity and telecom ‘by TPLF when the launched an expected attack on the northern federal Army in Tigray Region and some areas are still under control of them, it is difficult to estimate the number of causalities so far.
After losing its political dominance in the federal government in April 2018, when the ruling coalition elected Abiy Ahmed, TPLF hardliners have been at loggerheads with the federal government of Ethiopia, which finally led the two sides to a military confrontation launched early last week.
Located in the northern part of Ethiopia bordering Sudan and Eritrea, Tigray Region of Ethiopia has been under the administration of the TPLF, which came to power in 1991 through arms struggle.
In response to the attack on the federal army, Ethiopian army has reportedly took control of places such as Humera that links Tigray Region with Sudan, and with Eritrea. It is stated that the army is now advancing in different directions to the capital Mekelle, where the wanted extremist leaders of TPLF have been reportedly hiding.
Commenting on when he expects the federal government military operation to be completed, Ambassador Redwan indicated that after the government makes sure that heavy arsenals of the federal government, which the TPLF forces claim to control them and threaten to attack Addis Ababa will be demolished or returned back from the “terrorists” to the federal army. In addition for the federal government to conclude its operation and sit for negotiation with the TPLF, the government also needs to bring to justice the leaders of the TPLF who orchestrated the attack on Ethiopian Army in Tigray Region, and after making sure all the army members of the northern army will be rescued.