For a couple of months, Tigray officials have been conflicting with the Ethiopian government. The two have had ugly confrontations, which occasionally turned out disastrous. Amid the rivalry, some members from both parties have tried endorsing peace. However, the relationship between the two rivals degenerated into a monster when the Tigray People’s Liberation Front formed a regional government of their own. This act angered the Ethiopian government.
In fact, the Ethiopian president felt disrespected and demanded the Tigray movement to dissolve their government. However, the Tigray leaders refuted the idea and promised to protect their territory. Amid last year, the Tigray leaders clashed with Prime Ministers Abiy’s administration. The government had accused the Tigray party of inciting the conflict and stealing equipment belonging to the Ethiopian Military.
Following this incident, President Abiy cautioned his rivals to step down from their regional government. And since they refused, the Ethiopian government launched an explosion with an intention to destroy the stolen ammunition.
The Death of Tigray Officials
Last week on Thursday, the Ethiopian National Defense Force announced that it had assassinated four top Tigray officials during a military operation. According to reports, the TPLF spokesperson, Sekoture Getachew, Daniel Assefa, the head of Tigray Finance Bureau, Zeray Asgedom, and Abebe Asgedom lost their lives in the operation. The head of the Defense Forces Deployment Department, General Ayalew, was the one who confirmed the deaths. He stated that in addition to the deaths, the officers arrested nine other TPLF members.
Nevertheless, the General concealed the location from which the officers killed the Tigray officials. This attack is a response to the November attack when the Tigray military ambushed the Ethiopian military base, killed soldiers, and looted their ammunition. The incident had prompted Prime Minister Abiy to declare war on the TPLF leadership and its militants. And since Tigray members refused to concede to the Government demands, the forces staged an attack.
Unrest After Death of Tigray Leaders
Residents in Tigray have been living in fear since the beginning of social-political crises in their region. Many have fled their homes while some succumbed amid the clashes. The recent incident, which resulted in the top four Tigray officials dead, left the residents in the northern region in grief. This is mainly because they were staunch supporters of the TPLF party despite it being an enemy of the government.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Abiy, a former Nobel Prize winner of the country, stated that his main concern is all Ethiopians’ welfare at large. That is inclusive of the residents living in Tigray. Hence, he vowed to protect his people from the civil wars and political inciters and make Ethiopia safe. Nevertheless, he has received criticism from all corners, with some Tigray leaders questioning his credibility.
For quite some time, the tensions in Ethiopia have been making international headlines. Rights Group has also intervened over the conflicts following the tremendous impact it has had on many Ethiopians. The Rights Group had also cautioned Prime Minister Abiy to hold talks with its opponents to solve their differences. However, the negotiations between the two rival parties have never been successful as they have always resulted in attacks.
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