The Government of Ethiopia said its military counter operations in Tigray has achieved its objectives in neutralizing the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) military, destroying looted ammunitions, and in setting free Ethiopian troops from the terrorist group.
During the operation the government aimed to neutralize TPLF militarily, recapture or destroy looted ammunition, set Ethiopian troops free from TPLF, and hold criminals accountable for their impunity, according to Ambassador Redwan Hussien, State Minister, who briefed journalists today about the unilateral ceasefire that the government declared in Tigray.
Ambassador Redwan said the ceasefire considered the objectives of the law enforcement operation, survival of the nation, concerns of the people of Tigray, and the international community.
In this regard, Ambassador Redwan said the government met the objectives, and despite its propaganda, TPLF is no longer an existential threat to the well-being of the nation.
Although TPLF’s capacity to launch conventional war was neutralized within three weeks and many insurgents were decimated through time, the government declared the ceasefire because the Ethiopian army was not ready to exchange fires with people in Tigray who have been misled by the ethnically charged propaganda of the TPLF.
he said the ceasefire would help the people of Tigray to reflect on the pros and cons of colluding with a terrorist group to fight the Ethiopian troops who were providing protection and humanitarian aid in the region.
The unilateral ceasefire is also an attempt to address the major concerns of the international community for cessation of hostility, unimpeded access to the region, and the withdrawal of Eritrean troops, he said.
In line with the government’s decision, he said the international community now is expected to scale up much-needed humanitarian support to the people of Tigray and give due attention to the recent TPLF bravado belittling the ceasefire and threatening to launch attacks against the Amhara region and Eritrea.
General Bacha Debele, who also joined the media said the Ethiopian army was evacuated from Mekelle because Mekelle has ceased to be the center of gravity that is capable of posing a threat to the nation and the federal government.
He also downplayed the claims of TPLF and its sympathizers that said the Ethiopian army was dislodged by the TPLF from Mekelle.
Federal narrative says it’s enacted a ceasefire.
But it’s meaningless for ousted Tigray interim head in Addis to have ceasefire accepted by fed govt.
It’s a defeat. And concession to intl pressure.https://t.co/sTWrcrtoUr
4/6— William Davison (@wdavison10) June 29, 2021
He said the group was defeated in a 3-weeks swift conventional war while it was armed to teeth but now its military, administrative and organizational structure is obliterated and could not make the Ethiopian forces leave the city by force.
He also said the army has to refocus its attention to protecting the country from another national threat, this time an external one, rather than fighting the already incapacitated TPLF.
General Bacha further said the army is ready to respond accordingly if unduly provoked by attacks that compromise the spirits of the ceasefire.
It is recalled that the Ethiopian government was dragged into war by the TPLF militia who on November last year attacked the northern military command of Ethiopian national defense to overtake heavy ammunitions and return to central power by arms.
Meanwhile as opposed to the anticipation of TPLF leaders and their international partners primarily the United States and Western countries and their media, in about one month time Ethiopian army has conquered most of the towns in Tigray region while killing top TPLF officials and army generals as well as capturing some of them alive.
TPLF, which also invited the neighboring Eritrea into war by firing rockets to Asmara, have also sustained severe loss in the the war it has instigated.
TPLF has decided to overthrow Abiy Ahmed’s administration by military force after it has lost its dominance in April 2018 when the relining coalition it was dominatingly has unexpectedly elected Abiy Ahmed bringing to an end to about 3 decades of economic and political dominance in Ethiopia with grand corruption, billions of illicit financial flows and human rights abuses.
Investing the about 2 billion dollars that left the country every year, since November 2010 TPLF has managed to invest in international lobbyists including in the Washington and Europe as well as Western media, which serve their owners interest, to put pressure and sanctions on the Government of Ethiopia.
#Tigray: CNN finds evidence of atrocities, executions, bodies dumped over a cliff. Warning: Horrific images https://t.co/FtHykdXtWX
— Martin Plaut (@martinplaut) June 30, 2021
It was in May 1991 that TPLF came to power through arms struggle with the aim of liberating Tigray region. Meanwhile after it has realized that it is better to govern bigger Ethiopia than a small part of it, the the Front assembled a coalition – Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), which it has dominated until April 2018.
three of the political parties including TPLF were structured on ethnic bases while the Southern party was structured by region. The TPLF-dominated EPRDF has also introduced a new controversial constitution and divided Ethiopia’s regions on ethnic basis applying British style minority-dominated divide and rule strategy that allowed a 6 percent ethnic group to exploit the remaining over 100 million Ethiopians.