Gov’t Blames Int’l Community for Remaining Silent While TPLF Attacks Neighboring Regions
(ENA) The Government of Ethiopia blamed the international community for remaining silent while the TPLF terrorist group advances its provocative attacks on the neighboring regional states.
Press Secretary for the Office of the Prime Minister, Billene Seyoum told the international media today that even if the government declared unilateral ceasefire in Tigray for humanitarian reasons, TPLF has continued with its belligerent and fatalistic approach encroachment into other regions.
“It is not something contained within the Tigray region. This encroachment has gone further into the Amahara and Afar regions. So, instead of taking the ceasefire as opportunity to support the farmers of Tigray and those humanitarian needy people in the region, TPLF has resorted to mobilizing civilians as human shield,” she noted.
According to the press secretary, the terrorist group is violently harassing communities in the Amhara and Afar regions as well as within the Tigray region.
“Particularly, the lives of farmers in the Amhara region and pastoralists in Afar region are being destabilized by the TPLF terrorist enterprise that has resorted to further escalating the situation rather than de-escalating it,” Billene stated.
The press secretary also blamed the international community and media that have shamefully failed to realize the glaringly facts, atrocities and reinforced provoking acts perpetrated by the TPLF criminal enterprise in Ethiopia.
“As you may have noted, the international community and particularly, the international media, have been shockingly mute with regard to this,” she revealed.
Moreover, the TPLF has continued recruiting and deploying child soldiers feeding them illegal substances.
“In this regard, the federal government wants to assert to the very international community on this particular matter. Children are not soldiers and civilians should not be utilized as human shields for TPLF’s destructive exploit,” the press secretary underscored.
She pointed out that there are open belligerence against the stability and security of the nation from the TPLF’s side. As a result, there have been nationwide condemnation and armed force mobilization from the Ethiopians and nation nationalities of the country.
Recalling about the close to 400,000 quintals of food and nutritious food stockpiled by the government at the Mekelle Central Warehouse before the ceasefire, Billene revealed that the food has been exploited by the TPLF for recruitment.
The criminal group has in the meantime blocked humanitarian conveys to the region.
Speaking about Eritrean refugees in Tigray, she noted that they have been threatened by the TPLF, six refugees were killed and properties of their camps looted.
The refugees are being forced to contribute in kind and in cash to the rebels. However, the Ethiopian government is striving to relocate the refuges to other two places in the Amhara region, she added.
Asked about whether the government has lifted the unilateral ceasefire, the press secretary responded that the government stands by the ceasefire and it is not engaged any offense.
Source: Ethiopia News Agency