“We want to send a message to the public in Mekelle to save themselves from any artillery attacks and free themselves from the junta. The junta is now shielding itself within the public and the public must isolate itself from the junta.”
“After that, there will no mercy.”
Source: Reuters
By
“The next phases are the decisive part of the operation, which is to encircle Mekelle using tanks, finishing the battle on mountainous areas and advancing to the fields,” Colonel Dejene Tsegaye, a military spokesman, told the state-run Ethiopia Broadcasting Corporation.
The conflict erupted on Nov. 4 after what the government described as a surprise attack on federal troops by forces from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the political party that controls Tigray.
Information on the fighting is extremely patchy and claims by all sides are hard to verify because phone and internet communication to the region has been down since the conflict began.
Both sides say federal forces have taken Adigrat, 116 kilometres (72 miles) north of Mekelle.
Dejene said civilians in Mekelle, which has a population of half a million, should be aware of the danger.
“So far, we were only attacking targets which the junta fighters were stationed but in the case of Mekelle it might be different,” he said, referring to the TPLF.
“We want to send a message to the public in Mekelle to save themselves from any artillery attacks and free themselves from the junta. The junta is now shielding itself within the public and the public must isolate itself from the junta.”
“After that, there will no mercy.”
TPLF forces were not immediately available for comment.
I was in Ethiopia 40 years ago, after the revolution and I appreciated the very friendly and proud Ethiopian people, then also Oromo and Tigray people were “referred to ” as Ethiopians. It is very sad to follow the development throughout the years and now also conclude that violence is the only language leadership relay on in the effort to preserve power (ore peace and stability, as it most often is said).
I have spent many years in Africa after that and it is a sad fact that year after year, we see the same violent handling of every conflict, small or big and no matter if the country is “democratic” or not. Can anybody explain the self-destructive way things are handled? If it cannot be explained, it is difficult to stop it and achieve the development all people living on this continent deserves. Old “structures” can no longer be allowed to pour petrol on the fires but how do we get the needed change when even modern, educated Nobel peace prize laureates chose the military way? I think the international community including UN, shall be allowed to have a bigger role than today even in “internal” conflicts where war seems to be the only solution the “leaders” understand.
Basically he is ready to kills a city with 700k people to capture 34 people right? If this is not a war crime against humanity then what it could be. The sad thing is the government doing this just because of the Tigray region did regional election according the time manner. And the international community is ignoring this crime because Abiy is a missionary of liberalism.