Various Consultations Held Before Unilateral Ceasefire in Tigray: PM Reveals
(ENA) Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said various consultations had been held before the declaration of the to address challenges in Tigray region.
While responding to queries raised by parliamentarians today, the PM said the process of withdrawing the national defense force took more than a month. But revealing the decision at that time was not advantageous.
Thus the first and second rounds of the withdrawal were not known and publicized, he added.
Ethiopia has to shift focus towards projects that need to be completed, return migrants, and carry out agricultural activities, Abiy said, adding that the government also needs to use capacity and resources to deal with inflation. “In light of these circumstances, we mobilized our forces as the situation in the region is not worrisome as before.”
Moreover, the premier recalled that the TPLF had been mobilizing irregular forces siphoning national institutions and resources and paying elements across the country to destabilize and create havoc in Ethiopia, he noted.
They also mobilized the people of Tigray for war despite the numerous livelihood challenges of the people and attacked the Northern Command of the ENDF.
Following the brutal attack, the federal government was forced to defend the sovereignty of the country and return the looted national resources and weapons. The main task of the law enforcement operation was short and specific. Much work has been done to thwart the plot of the enemies of Ethiopia.
“We have tried to focus only on the destructive forces of the conflict and to prevent damage on cities. After the law enforcement operation, efforts were made to support agricultural activities, health, and education,” he elaborated.
The PM underlined that government has made gains in addressing the threats posed by TPLF. The federal government has retaken the weaponry seized illegally and forcefully from the Northern Command, curtailed the attempts to divide Ethiopians, and apprehended key leaders of the criminal clique.
“In my view, those who want to see an end to the conflict in Tigray are very few. It seems there are interests to see the weakening of the Ethiopian state through a protracted conflict,” Abiy pointed out.
In spite of this, over 100 billion Birr has been spent to rehabilitate the region. “It is not difficult to continue the war. It is rather difficult to make progress and attain development.”
The premier hoped that the period of reflection given will help all actors to calmly analyze things and reach healthy conclusions.
Source: Ethiopia News Agency