Ethiopia PM Ahmed defends military operation in Tigray region

ADDIS ABABA - Under pressure from the international community, Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed has yet again defended the decision to deploy the military to the rebellious Tigray region, a move that could significantly affect his foreign policy and relations with other nations.

Last week, Ahmed, who won in 2018, deployed the Ethiopian National Defense Forces [ENDF] to the Tigray region following what he termed as "outright assault" on an ENDF base by the Tigray People's Liberation Front [TPLF]. The TPLF has been at loggerheads with Ahmed's administration in recent months.

For instance, the party went on to hold regional elections in August despite postponement by the National Elections Board of Ethiopia [NEBE] due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This, analysts said, undermined the goodwill of the federalism in the Horn of Africa nation.

Already, the military has arrived in the region ready for the operation, but there have been calls especially from the United States of America to embrace ceasefire and dialogue, something that after all seems to be a tall order in the coming days.

On his Twitter handle on Saturday, Abiy insisted that his decision was quite an in order, adding that those causing anxiety at the Tigray region were "criminal elements" who should be "dealt with" by the military. He insisted that the operation will go on as planned.

"Criminal elements cannot escape the rule of law under the guise of seeking reconciliation and a call for dialogue," the PM said. "Our operation aims to end the impunity that has prevailed for far too long and hold accountable individuals and groups under the laws of the land."

The PM further said that the democratization process in Ethiopia must strictly conform to the rule of law, which he believes that is being violated by the TPLF, which broke away from the government following the formation of the Prosperity Party.

"Ethiopia’s quest to have a successful transition towards constitutional democracy requires adherence to rule of law. The Government will continue to take necessary law enforcement measures to safeguard and advance our nascent process of democratization from rogue political actors," he added.

Ever since he took over, Abiy has engineered a series of radical reforms which partly earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019. But the country has been struggling with ethnic animosity which is associated with expanded freedom of speech in Ethiopia.

GAROWE ONLINE