Africa-Press – Ethiopia. Starving Tigrayans by Rejecting Ceasefire, Blocking Humanitarian Aid and Stealing Farmers’ Food
By Kungu Al-mahadi Adam, A Ugandan Journalist
For selfish interests, the TPLF terrorists, have decided to deliberately starve millions of Ethiopians living in Tigray and they continue being adamant on calls to restore peace, a Ugandan Journalist revealed.
The journalist said in an article that thousands have since succumbed to hunger and hundreds of thousands are relentlessly pleading to the terrorists to stop the fighting – killing of innocent civilians, raping girls and women, but most importantly not interrupting the flow of humanitarian support into the Northern region.
The terrorist group and its allies in the media are now all over social media and other online platforms acting victim to crimes they themselves are either committing or aiding to commit on the innocent people of Ethiopia, he added.
However, the writer further stated that the narrative that “Ethiopia government is starving its own people”, lacks basis of truth, it is false propaganda aimed at soiling the legitimate government.
“See, TPLF and its allies openly rejected the Unilateral Ceasefire announced by federal government in June and instead opted to fight-on as they kill the people, rape women and girls, starve innocent Ethiopians in the area, displace them as well as use children in battlefield,” the journalist argued.
And so, to claim that the same government that, at will, rooted for a stop of hostilities to allow farming activities and access of humanitarian support in the area, is starving its own people is illogical, untrue and an act of self-seeking.
“If TPLF wanted Tigrayan-Ethiopians to get out of the current situation, I thought it would support the ceasefire. Why fight to the extent of extending war to Amhara and Afar regions – still to cause similar horrifying crimes on the people?? Why would government call for a ceasefire if it wanted to starve Tigrayans?”
Despite the risk involved, he indicated that the Ethiopian government reduced roadblocks on the road to Tigray from seven to only two with an aim of aiding quick movement of trucks carrying humanitarian aid. “How then can the same government block aid to reach its own people?”
It is on record that the government of Ethiopia has been supplying some food items to the affected people in Tigray since the outbreak of the conflict despite the challenges put by the terrorist group. Is this also an act of starving Tigrayans or saving them?
Is it the Ethiopian government that confiscated the more than 500 humanitarian aid trucks that entered Tigray and never returned to fetch more support for the starving people?
It is a known that TPLF is working hard to deny the starving people aid in order to blame the federal government with an aim of attracting international sympathy.
See, farmers in not only Tigray but also in parts of Amhara and Afar regions where the terrorists are occupying, narrate horrible stories of how their ready harvest is stolen by TPLF and that the terrorists do consume the stockpiled food.
The same group has not spared food-aid warehouses and forcibly taking the distributed assistance from recipients. Is it still the federal government that is commiting these acts?
The federal government has a constitutional mandate of protecting all the citizens of Ethiopia including those in Tigray. It has a responsibility of ensuring respect of human rights of all Ethiopians and its involvement in Tigray is purely on those grounds.
TPLF must admit that Ethiopians want a chance to move forward. It had its 27 years and the people are not willing to return to the widespread political repressions, economic as well as social marginalization witnessed during their rule.
After 27 years of its dominance in the nation, TPLF insists Ethiopia will fall apart if “we do not lead it”. Its leaders have insisted on terrorizing civilian communities by saying “if we don’t hold the supremacy, and if it’s necessary, we could go down to hell to disintegrate Ethiopia.”
However, Ethiopians are united in saying it is an ancient and historical country, never colonized and should not be disintegrated by TPLF rebel motives.
TPLF ought to desist from committing war crimes on the innocent people of Ethiopia as well as destroying the country, but instead work with the legitimate government towards building Ethiopia together.
The Writer is a Ugandan Journalist with passion for current African affairs
