Ethiopian authorities persecute Tigray People’s Liberation Front leaders

The Ethiopian prime minister said that the Ethiopian Federal Police are searching for the leaders of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) after government soldiers entered Mekele, the provincial capital.

And Abiy Ahmed added that the takeover of the provincial capital was the “final stage” of the three-week conflict, and details are difficult to confirm as communications were blocked.

Meanwhile, the leader of the TPLF promised, in a statement to the media, to continue the fight.

Hundreds have reportedly died in the conflict and thousands have been displaced.

The clashes began earlier this month, after the Prime Minister announced an operation against the Front, accusing the Regional Party of attacking the headquarters of the Ethiopian army’s northern command in Mikkeli.

Ahmed described the leaders of the front as a “criminal gang” and said the police “will take them to court.”

A well-known source in Mikkeli told the BBC that federal soldiers were in the city and I heard sporadic gunfire on Sunday morning. He added that some residents earlier fled to the outskirts of the city.

Meanwhile, the US embassy in neighboring Eritrea said six explosions were heard in the capital Asmara late Saturday night.

In the past, TPLF forces have fired rockets at Eritrea, which they accuse of supporting Ethiopian government forces in weeks of conflict. It is not clear whether recent events in Asmara are related to the fighting in Tigray.

What does the government say?

In a statement on Twitter, Abiy Ahmed said that the army has full control of Mikeli and that this “represents a continuation of the recent (military) operation.”

“I am pleased to share with you that we have completed and stopped military operations in the Tigray region,” he added.

Ahmed confirmed that the army released thousands of soldiers who had been detained by the front and that it was controlling the airport and regional offices, adding that the operation was carried out “with the utmost respect for the public.”

There was concern for the safety of the 500,000 people who lived in the city.

It is extremely difficult to confirm the details of the region, as telephone lines and the Internet were disrupted during the conflict.

How did the Tigray People’s Liberation Front respond?

In a text message sent to Reuters, the leader of the Tigray Liberation Front, Debarsion Gebremikail, did not comment directly on the situation on the ground, but said of government forces: “Their brutality increases our determination to fight these invaders until the end”.

He added: “It is about defending our right to self-determination.”

Gebremikail’s whereabouts are still unknown.

“The fascist bombings have caused deaths and injuries to civilians. The Tigray government has promised that it will retaliate against the brutal bombings,” said a statement from the Front on the regional television channel Tigray.

In its statement, the Front also accused the Eritrean government of being involved in the attack on Mikkeli.

Tigray TV and another station in the region have been suspended.

Analysts say the front may be preparing to return to the mountains to wage a guerrilla war against the federal government.

What are the concerns In the humanitarian field؟

The United Nations has warned of possible war crimes if the Ethiopian army attacks Mikkeli.

It also expressed concern about the lack of access for humanitarian workers to the conflict zone.

Ethiopian authorities said Thursday that a “humanitarian access road” would be opened, monitored by the government, adding that it was “committed to working with United Nations agencies … to provide protection to civilians and those in need.”

Also on Thursday, Ethiopian forces were deployed along Tigray’s border with Sudan, to prevent those fleeing the violence from leaving the country, according to the refugees.

In its most recent statement, issued on Saturday, the United Nations said that more than 40,000 Ethiopians have crossed the border since the fighting began in early November.

In his report after a visit to West Tigray, Wilson Mondal of the International Committee of the Red Cross said that in Dansha he met people “who lived in a makeshift camp without food, water or medical care.”

He added: “They told us they fear for their lives and want a safe passage out of the area.”

The state-appointed Human Rights Commission in Ethiopia accused a group of youth from Tigrayans of being behind the massacre this month, saying that more than 600 civilians, not from Tigrayans, were killed in the city of Mai Kadra. The front denied any involvement in the accident.

And at Friday’s meeting, the prime minister told African peace envoys that civilians would be protected.

Who is the Liberation Front? People Tigray?

The number of front fighters, most of whom belong to a paramilitary unit and local militias, is believed to be around 250,000.

The Front was founded in the 1970s and led the uprising against the “Marxist dictator” Mengistu Haile Mariam, who was overthrown in 1991.

It then continued to become the dominant political force in the region until Abiy Ahmed became prime minister in 2018.

Debreción said the Tigrayans were “prepared to die in defense of our right to administer our region.”

What is the fight about?

The roots of the long-standing conflict between the Ethiopian government and the Tigrayan Liberation Front (TPLF) have recently been sparked by Abe’s moves to marginalize the party.

And when Abiy Ahmed postponed the national elections due to the coronavirus in June, relations deteriorated further.

The front said the government’s mandate to rule had expired, arguing that the prime minister was not chosen in national elections.

In September, the party held its own elections that the government deemed “illegal.”

In early November, TPLF fighters entered a military base in Mikkeli, initiating a Federal Army military operation in Tigray.