Ethiopia | TDF Made One of The Most Amazing Comebacks in Recent Military History

💭 ኢትዮጵያ | የትግራይ መከላከያ ኃይል በቅርብ ወታደራዊ ታሪክ ውስጥ እጅግ አስደናቂ ከሆኑት መመለሻዎች መካከል አንዱን አደረገ

👉 ከጥቂት ወራቶች በፊት ትግራይ ውስጥ የተሸነፉ የሚመስሉት አርበኞች አሁን የአዲስ አበባን አቅርቦት ለመዝጋት እየዛቱ ነው ፡፡ ያ እንዴት ይቻላል?

💭 A Few Months Ago The Rebels Seemed Defeated in Tigray, Now They Are Threatening to Cut Off Addis Ababa’s Supply. How is That Possible?

👉 Reconstruction of a dramatic – but explainable – turnaround.

They made one of the most amazing comebacks in recent military history.

Courtesy: Neue Züricher Zeitung (NZZ) (Translated from the German)

👉 ከታዋቂው የስዊዘርላንድ “አዲስ የዙሪክ ጋዜጣ” የተወሰደ፤

“Vor wenigen Monaten schienen die Rebellen in Tigray besiegt, nun drohen sie Addis Abeba die Versorgung abzuschneiden. Wie ist das möglich?

Rekonstruktion einer dramatischen – aber erklärbaren – Wende.“

At the end of May, the man, whom some consider to be one of Africa’s best military strategists, gave an interview. He was sitting in front of a stone wall somewhere in the hinterland of Tigray, talking to a local journalist, and what Tsadkan Gebretinssae said sounded full-bodied.

“We see clearly that their defeat (that of the occupying forces) is approaching. We have created several brigades and cells within a few months, we will use them effectively soon. We need to plug a few more holes, but we’re working on that. “

Tsadkan is a legendary guerrilla leader, he defeated an Ethiopian government thirty years ago. But at the time of the interview, hardly anyone outside the Ethiopian region of Tigray would have bet money for the one announced by Tsadkan to arrive. The Tigray Defense Forces (TDF), of which Tsadkan is the Central Command, had been hiding in the mountains, leading out of the ambush war against the troops who invaded Tigray in November 2020. The TDF seemed strong enough not to be defeated – but too weak to launch an offensive.

But then, at the end of June, the rebels did just that. Within a few days they overran the Ethiopian army in Tigray. They conquered large parts of the region, including the capital Mekele. “Operation Alula” was the offensive. It was one of the most amazing comebacks in recent military history.

What’s more, the TDF has now entered the neighbouring region of Afar, apparently trying to cut off the link between the port in Djibouti and Addis Ababa. It is by far the most important supply route for the Ethiopian capital. If the TDF succeeds, the civil war enters a completely unpredictable phase. There are rumors that the militarily lucky Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed could threaten a coup.

How could it get that far?

Disastrous rumbling attacks

Before the rebels made an amazing comeback in Tigray, they suffered an amazing defeat. In early November 2020, the Ethiopian army began its offensive against Tigray. The conflict had begun since Abiy Ahmed became Prime Minister in spring 2018. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), Tigray’s main political force, had previously determined Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades. Abiy put an end to this, removing the Tigray faction from important posts in the military, politics and administration. The TPLF withdrew to its region of origin, soon the signs of war stood – on 4 November 2020 he broke loose.

It was first a one-sided conflict, after less than four weeks he seemed decided. The TPLF troops had rapidly lost ground, on 28 November they also lost the capital Mekele. Prime Minister Abiy declared the offensive, which he had defined as a “criminal action,” to be over.

The Norwegian politologist Kjetil Tronvoll, who is in regular contact with the leadership of the rebels, gives two reasons for the fact that the fight in November was so one-sided: firstly, the Tigrayan troops were not prepared to be attacked by three fronts; In addition to the Ethiopian army, the Eritrean army advanced from the north as well as militias of the neighbouring region Amhara from the south. Secondly, drone strikes that the United Arab Emirates allied with Ethiopia flew from a base in Eritrea would have had a devastating effect. The attacks destroyed Tigrayan tanks and heavy war equipment and killed several TPLF leaders.

The accusation that the UAE would support the campaign in Tigray with drones had been expressed early by TPLF representatives – experts believe this is possible, it is not documented.

In December and January, the rebels went for survival. The Ethiopian government maintained a “Most Wanted” list of 167 TPLF leaders. Within two weeks of January alone, the Ethiopian army captured or killed 47 of the wanted. The most prominent victim was Seyoum Mesfin, a 71-year-old former foreign minister who was shot dead by Ethiopian soldiers.

It seemed a matter of time before the list would be cut off. But it came differently.

The return of the almost 70-year-old general

For those who had saved themselves in the mountains of Tigrays were not helpless politicians, but some of the most experienced military of Ethiopia. The core of the TPLF leadership was a group of men who had fought a guerrilla war against the Ethiopian central state forty years ago. Debretsion Gebremichael, for example, the TPLF chairman, had joined the TPLF in the 1970s, when it was a rebel organization fighting the communist Derg regime.

Or Tsadkan Gebretinssae, the man who announced the defeat of the Ethiopian army in the interview. According to the BBC, he had joined the TPLF in 1976, when it only numbered a few hundred fighters. He became one of their most important commanders and led the 1991 attack on Addis Ababa, which put an end to the Derg regime. At that time the TPLF had become an army with over 100,000 fighters.

After the TPLF took power, Tsadkan was Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian Army and led it into a war with Eritrea in 1998, which cost nearly 80,000 lives. Later the general was dismissed because he had resigned with the then TPLF Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. In 2019, he participated in negotiations between the TPLF and Prime Minister Abiy. They were unsuccessful – and after the war broke loose, Tsadkan joined the rebels. He later said, “I had the choice to surrender to either foreign forces or those of Abiy or to go into resistance. I chose the latter. ” Tsadkan again has a key military role, he is almost 70 years old.

Besides Debretsion, Tsadkan and the other former guerrilla fighters, many more capable military forces found themselves in the mountains of Tigray; Tadesse Worede, for example, the commander-in-chief of the Tigrayan troops, had once led UN peacekeepers in Sudan. In addition, there were officers at all hierarchy levels who had either been expelled from the Ethiopian army or deserted.

One of the most militarized regions in the world

These experienced military forces now sent themselves to organize the resistance in Tigray. According to TPLF expert Kjetil Tronvoll, they received indirect support from the American government: after Joe Biden took office, the Americans pressured the UAE to end drone strikes in Yemen. These were flown from the same base in Eritrea, from which the attacks against the TPLF allegedly also originated. According to media reports, the Emirates largely shut down the base in February.

The absence of drone strikes gave air to the Tigrayan rebels. At the same time, tens of thousands of volunteers flocked to newly established training camps. Mass recruitment was a consequence of the humanitarian drama that has been taking place in Tigray since November. The Eritrean, Ethiopian and Amharic troops are blamed for numerous war crimes. Several thousand civilians were killed in massacres, and hundreds of women were raped. American Foreign Minister Antony Blinken, among others, spoke of “ethnic cleansing” in connection with the events in Tigray.

Tronvoll says that many Tigrayans have seen no other way out than to go to the mountains and fight: “They said to themselves: If we stay home, they come, rape our sisters, kill our mothers or us. If we want to survive, we have no choice but to join the rebels. “

In training camps new recruits were trained by experienced military personnel. There was no lack of weapons, the Tigray on the fragile border with Eritrea is one of the most militarized regions in the world. According to Tronvoll, many of the new fighters brought weapons sufficient for guerrilla combat; Kalashnikov rifles, for example.

The Tigray Defense Forces, consisting not only of members of the TPLF, but also members of other parties, deserters and militias and tens of thousands of people who were civilians until recently, grew. Tsadkan Gebretinssae said in one of his interviews: “Combining these two elements – experienced and capable commanders and a society with a military tradition – takes only a short time to reorganize and take control.”

That seems to have actually happened.

The destroyed command structure of the Ethiopian army

In June, the TDF commanders considered themselves strong enough to go on the offensive. Until then, they had carried out strategic attacks, which were often just needle stitches. But in these, for example, the TDF captured heavy war equipment that would soon be useful to them.

Finally, on June 18, the TDF launched Operation Alula, named after a Tigrayan general from the 19 century. The offensive was of resounding success; the Ethiopian army, which had mainly occupied cities and main axes of traffic, was surrounded in many places and cut off from supplies. Ten days after the offensive began, the TDF captured the capital Mekele. Images and videos from the city showed fighters parading through the city in a triumphal procession. The inhabitants celebrated the rebels, they waved Tigray flags, fireworks popped.

The TDF’s stormy offensive would not have been so successful if the Ethiopian army had resisted more severely. But the army is weakened because it has suffered a spate of Tigrayan officers in recent years – they had formed the backbone of the Ethiopian army after 1991. Prime Minister Abiy arrested thousands of Tigrayan officers for allegedly not trusting them. According to Kjetil Tronvoll, the command structure of the army was practically destroyed – meanwhile, old commanders from the time of the Derg regime again assume a key role. They face their former opponents of the TPLF, to whom they are already inferior.

The TDF are no longer waging a guerrilla war, they are continuing their offensive. They also want to free the north and the west of Tigray. In addition, they have penetrated the neighbouring regions of Amhara and Afar in order to create a buffer zone.

“The TDF are currently running as fast as they can,” says Kjetil Tronvoll. On the one hand, they wanted to prevent the Ethiopian army from reestablishing itself. On the other hand, they tried to open access to humanitarian aid – according to the UN, more than five million people in Tigray are in urgent need of aid. The only way to get help is through Afar.

The main supply route for Addis Ababa also runs through Afar. Around 95 percent of Ethiopia’s import volume enters the country from the port of Djibouti via Afar, including fuel and food. In recent days, the signs have increased that the TDF could try to cut the route from Djibouti to Addis. It would be a disaster for Prime Minister Abiy’s government.

For the ancient Tigrayan guerrillas and their highly motivated army, perhaps the moment when, thanks to them, the leaf would have finally turned in the civil war.

Source

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የኖቤል የሰላም ተሸላሚው ግራኝ አሕመድ አሊ ጥቁሩ አዶልፍ ሂትለር ነው | የአህዛብ ርኩሰት

☆ M & M ☆

👉 Hitler’s Book: ‘Mein Kampf/My Struggle’ = Abiy Ahmed’s Book : Medemer/ Synergy

🆚

☆ M & M ☆ = 👉 Mohammad + Martin Luther

👉 Senator Jim Inhofe, Presbyterian Protestant Guardian of Pentecostal-Muslim Protestant Abiy Ahmed Ali

# ትግራይ የዘር ማጥፋት ወንጀል | የኖቤል የሰላም ተሸላሚ ጠ / ሚ አሕመድ ጥቁር አዶልፍ ሂትለር?

☆ መ & መ ☆

👉 የሂትለር መጽሐፍ “ማይን ካምፍ / ትግሌ” = የአብይ አህመድ መጽሐፍ መደመር

🆚

☆ መ & መ ☆ = መሀመድ + ማርቲን ሉተር

👉 ፕሬስበቴሪያን ፕሮቴስታንቱ ሴናተር ጂም ኢንሆፌ = የፔንጠቆስጤ–ሙስሊሙ ፕሮቴስታንት አቢይ አህመድ አሊ ጠባቂ

☆ Mohammed Amin al-Husseini / መሀመድ አል–ሁሴይኒ☆

“ሂትለር አይሁዶችን ለማባረር እንጅ ለመግደል አልፈለገም ነበር ፥ ግን ፍልስጤማዊው ሙስሊም፤ ሙፍቲ አል–ሁሴይኒ ነበር አይሁዶችን እንዲጨፈጭፍ የአሳመነው” ይላሉ የቀድሞው የእስራኤል ጠ/ር ናታንያሁ።

☆ Mufti Mohammed Amin al-Husseini / ሙፍቲ መሀመድ አል-ሁሴይኒ ከናዚው አዶልፍ ሂትለር ጋር☆

☆የኔዘርላንድሱ ፖለቲከኛ ጌርድ ቪልደርትስ፤

“አደገኛው ቁርአን መታገድ አለበት፤ ከሂትለር መጽሐፍ ጋር ተመሳሳይ ነውና”

ይህ የአህዛብ ርኩሰት ያመጣው ጣጣ ነው፤ ለዲያብሎስ ተላልፈው የተሰጡት ሕዝቦች አህዛብ ይባላሉ፤ እነዚህ አህዛብ ናቸው ዛሬ አማራውን፣ ኦሮሞውን፣ ኤርትራዊውን/ቤን አሚር፣ ሶማሌውን ብሎም ከላይ እስከታች የቤተ ክርስቲያን “አገልጋይ” የተባለውን ሁሉ (የዋቄዮ-አላህ-ዲያብሎስ ጭፍሮች) በመንፈስ የተቆጣጠሯቸው።

በትግራይ ላይ የሚካሄደው ጂሃድ አህዛብ የትክክለኛዎቹን ተዋሕዶ ኢትዮጵያውያን ተፈጥሯዊ ጸጋና በረከት ለመስረቅና የራስ ለማድረግ የሚሰሩ የጥፋትና የሞት አሰራር ይዘው የመጡ የዲያብሎስ ጭፍሮች ናቸው። ምክኒያቱም የዲያብሎስ ልጆች ሁሉ ስምና ክብራቸው የሚሠሩት ተፈጥሯዊ ጸጋና በረከት ያለውን ሌላ አንድ አካል በመግደል፣ በማፍዘዝ፣ በማሰር፣ በማሳበድ፣ በሽተኛ በማድረግ ነውና። ስጋ ተፈጥሯዊ ጸጋና በረከት የለውም፤ የመንፈስን ስምና ክብር ነው የራሱ የሚያደርገው። ስለዚህም ደግሞ ያ መንፈሳዊ አካል ሊሞት የግድ ይሆናል። የስጋ ስምና ክብር አንጻራዊ ስለሆነ የግድ አንድን መንፈሳዊ አካል መስዋዕት አድርጎ ያቀርባል። ገድሎ፣ አጥፍቶ፣ ሠርቆ፣ አጭበርብሮነው ስሙንና ክብሩን የሚሠራው። ስዚህም ነው ጌታችን ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ ስለ ዲያብሎስ ዓላማ ሲናገር፤ “ሌባው ሊሰርቅና ሊያርድ ሊያጠፋም እንጂ ስለ ሌላ አይመጣም”[የዮሐንስ ወንጌል ምዕራፍ ፲፥፲] ያለው። አስቀድሞም ራሱ ዲያብሎስ በዚህች ምድር ላይ ገዥና መንግስት የሆነው የራሱ ያልሆነውን የአዳምን(ሰው)ተፈጥሯዊ

ጸጋና በረከት የጥፋትን ዕውቀት፣ ጥበብና ኃይል በመጠቀም ለራሱ ማድረግ በመቻሉ ነበር። ዲያብሎስ በምድርና በውስጧ ባሉት ሁሉ ላይ ገዥ እንዲሆን አልተፈጠረም። እርሱ በዚህች ምድር ላይ ገዥ የሆነውን የሌላን አካል የአዳምን ጸጋና በረከት የርሱ ማድረግ በመቻሉ መሆኑን ማወቅ አለብን። አዳም የሞትን ፍሬ እንዲበላ ማድረግ በመቻሉ ነበር በምድርና በውስጧ ያሉትን ሁሉ እንዲገዛ የተሰጠውን ሥልጣን የነጠቀውና የራሱ ያደረገው። ልጆቹም እንዲሁ ናቸው። ዲያብሎስ በሌላ ሰው ጸጋና በረከት የሚኖርን፣ የሚገለጥና የሚነግስ የምኞት አካል ነው። ይህም ደግሞ ስጋ የምንለው የሞትና የባርነት ማንነትና ምንነት ነው፤ የስጋ ስምና ክብር። የዲያብሎስን ዕውቀት፣ ጥበብና ኃይል ለተፈለገው ዓላማ ለጥቅም ለማዋል ደግሞ እነዚህን የርኩሰትና የጥፋ አሠራሮችን መፈጸም የግድ ይሆናል።

[ኦሪት ዘዳግም ምዕራፍ ፲፪፥፴፩]

“እግዚአብሔር የሚጠላውን ርኵሰት ሁሉ እነርሱ ለአማልክቶቻቸው አድርገዋልና፥ ወንዶችና ሴቶች ልጆቻቸውን ደግሞ ለአማልክቶቻቸው በእሳት ያቃጥሉአቸዋልና አንተ ለአምላክህ ለእግዚአብሔር እንዲሁ አታድርግ።”

በዲያብሎስ የሚያምን ለእርሱም የሚገዛ ሁሉ ይህን የርኩሰት አሠራር የመፈጸም ግዴታ አለበት። አህዛብ የዋቄዮ-አላህ-ዲያብሎስ ልጆች በትግራይ ተዋሕዶ ክርስቲያን ሕዝብ ላይ እየፈጸሙት ያሉትም ይህን የርኩሰት አሠራር ነው። የዋቄዮ-አላህ-ዲያብሎስ ልጆች በተለይ ከምኒልክ ፪ኛው መምጣት አንስቶ ላለፉት መቶ ሠላሳ ዓመታት በትግራይ ላይ የሚያካሂዱት ጂሃዳዊ ዘመቻ ዋናው ተልዕኮ፤ እግዚአብሔር ለትግራይ ኢትዮጵያውያን የሰጣቸውንና ከአዳም ዘመን አንስቶ ተከላከሎ ያቆየላቸውን ተፈጥሯዊ ጸጋና በርከት መስረቅና የራሳቸው ማድረግ ነው። አይሳካላቸውም እንጂ!

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Stop The Genocide in Tigray | Back to The Roots

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Fears of Spiralling Ethnic Violence in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region – BBC News

💭 በትግራይ ክልል ውስጥ የጎሳ ግጭት እየጠነከረ መጥቷል

ግጭቱ ወደ አደገኛ አዲስ ምዕራፍ እየገባ ነው የሚል ስጋት እየጨመረ በመምጣቱ ቢቢሲ በሰሜን ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ በትግራይ ውስጥ የዘር ማጽዳትን አስመልክቶ አዳዲስ ዘገባዎችን ሰምቷል። የትግራይ ኃይሎች በክልላቸው ላይ ቁጥጥራቸውን ማራዘማቸውን የቀጠሉ ሲሆን ፣ የኢትዮጵያ መንግሥት በተናጥል የተኩስ አቁሙን ሊያቋርጥ እንደሚችል በማስጠንቀቅ በአቅራቢያ ካሉ የአማራ እና ከሌሎች የአገሪቱ ክፍሎች የተውጣጡ ኃይሎችን ለማሰባሰብ ችሏል። ቀጣዩ የጦርነት ቀጠና በአማራ ኃይሎች ቁጥጥር ስር በዋለው በምዕራብ ትግራይ ውስጥ ይሆናል፡፡ የቢቢሲ የአፍሪቃ ዘጋቢ አንድሪው ሃርዲንግ ይህንን ዘገባ ከጎረቤት ሃገር ሱዳን ድንበር አቅርቧል።

The BBC has heard new reports of ethnic cleansing in Tigray, in northern Ethiopia amid growing concern that the conflict is entering a dangerous new stage. Tigrayan forces are continuing to extend their control over the region, prompting the Ethiopian government to warn it may end its unilateral ceasefire and to mobilise forces from nearby Amhara and other parts of the country. The likely next flashpoint is in western Tigray, currently controlled by Amhara forces. BBC Africa correspondent Andrew Harding has this report from the border with neighbouring Sudan.

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War in Ethiopia: Holy City Axum Staged Massacre | Guerra na Etiópia Cidade Sagrada Foi Palco de Massacre

💭 የብራዚል ሜዲያ፤

በኢትዮጵያ በትግራይ ላይ በሚካሄደው ጦርነት እጅግ አስከፊ ከሆኑት ጭፍጨፋዎች መካከል አንዱ በተቀደሰ መሬት ላይ የተከናወነ ሲሆን ኦርቶዶክስ ክርስቲያኖች እግዚአብሔር ለሙሴ የሰጠው አሠርቱ ትእዛዛትን የየዘው ጽላተ ሙሴ ይገኛል ብለው በሚያምኑባት አክሱም ከተማ ውስጥ ነው።

በጣም እሩቅ የሆኑትና እንደ ጃፓን እና ብራዚል የመሳሰሉት ሃገራት ሳይቀሩ በትግራይ እየተካሄደ ስላለው ጭፍጨፋ፣ በአክሱም ስለተፈጸመው ግፍ፣ ስለ አክሱም ጽዮን እና ስለ ሙሴ እንዲህ ያወሳሉ ፥ “ኢትዮጵያዊ ነኝ፣ ክርስቲያን ነኝ” የሚለው ወገን ግን “አለማጣ እርስቴን ካላስመለስኩ፣ ከአረብ እና ቱርክ አህዛብ ጋር አብሬ ተዋሕዶ ትግራዋይን ካልጨፈጨፍኳቸው፣ በረሃብ ካልጨረስኳቸው!” ይላል። ያለማቋረጥ ለዘጠኝ ወር ያህል!

💭 ይገርማል፤ ከጥቂት ሰዓታት በፊት ባቀረብኩት ቪዲዮ ‘ሙሴን’ እንዲህ በማለት ጠቅሼው ነበር፤

“ሙሴ እግዚአብሔር ላለው ፈጣሪና ገዥ ሕግ የሠራው የ “መገናኛ” ድንኳንም የሚናገረው ስለሁለቱ ፈጣሪና ገዥ የሕግ አካላት ነው። በዚህም የመገናኛ ድንኳን ውስጥ የተገለጠው የረቀቀውና የመጠቀው አንዱና ዋናው መለኮታዊ ምስጢር ደግሞ የሰውን ልጅም ይሁን ዓለማትን(ሥነ–ፍጥረታትን) በመልካቸውና በምሳሌያቸው ለስማቸውና ለክብራቸው የፈጠሩ ሁለት ሕጎች መኖራቸው ነው። በፊተኛይቱም ድንኳን (እስራኤል ዘ–ስጋ/ሐጋር/እስማኤል)መልክ በምሳሌ የተለጠው እጅግ አስፈሪውና አስደንጋጩ እውነት ደግሞ ሳጥናኤል የራሱ የሁኑትን ዓለማትን (ሥነ–ፍጥረታትን ሁሉ)የፈጠረበት ሕግ እና ሥርዓት መሆኑን ማወቅ አለብን።”

💭 One of the worst massacres of the civil war in Ethiopia took place on sacred ground: precisely in a city where Christians believe the ten commandments given by God to Moses are kept.

👉 Courtesy: Band Jornalismo

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ጽዮንን የሚጠሉ ሁሉ ይፈሩ፥ ወደ ኋላቸውም ይመለሱ

“...በሰገነት ላይ እንደ በቀለ ሣር፥ ሳይነቀል እንደሚደርቅ፥ ለሚያጭደው እጁን፥ ነዶዎቹን ለሚሰበስብ እቅፉን እንደማይሞላ ይሁኑ።”

💭 አዎ! ኢትዮጵያ ማለት የአዲስ ኪዳኗ እስራኤል ዘ-ነፍስ ማለት ናት። የአክሱም ጽዮንን ልጆች የሚጠሉ ጽዮን ማርያም እናታችንንና ኢትዮጵያንም ይጠላሉ ማለት ነው። ይህም ዛሬ ፺/90% የሚሆኑትን “ኢትዮጵያውያን ነን፣ ክርስቲያን ነን” የሚሉትን ግን ኢትዮጵያውያንም ክርስቲያንም ያልሆኑትን የወደቁትን ኢትዮጵያ ዘ-ስጋ ይመለከታል።

✞ አባታቻን አባ ዘ-ወንጌል ካስጠነቀቁን ነገሮች መካከል፤

❖ ኢትዮጵያን በዚህ ወቅት እያስተዳደሯት ያሉት ጠላቶቿ መሆናቸውን፤ ስለዚህ እነ አረመኔው ግራኝ የነገሱባት ‘ኢትዮጵያ’ ‘ጽዮናዊቷ ኢትዮጵያ’ ሳትሆን የዋቄዮ-አላህ ‘ኦሮሚያ’ መሆኗን

❖ በዚህ የፈተና ወቅት ፀረ–ትግራዋይ/ፀረ–ጽዮናውያን የሆነ አቋም እንዳይኖረን

❖ ፲/10% የሚሆኑት ተዋሕዷውያን ብቻ የኢትዮጵያን ትንሣኤ ለማየት እንደሚተርፉ

የሚሉት ይገኙበታል። ለሁላችንም በጣም ቁልፍ የሆነ ነጥብ ስለሆነ በደንብ እናስተውል!

💭 ቅዱሱ ነብይ አባታችን ንጉሥ ዳዊትም ይህን ኃይለኛ መልዕክት ነበር ከሦስት ሺህ ዓመታት በፊት ያስተላለፈልን፤ ድንቅ ነው!

✞✞✞[መዝሙረ ዳዊት ምዕራፍ ፻፳፰]✞✞✞

፩ እስራኤል። ከትንሽነቴ ጀምሮ ብዙ ጊዜ ተሰለፉብኝ ይበል፤

፪ ከትንሽነቴ ጀምሮ ብዙ ጊዜ ተሰለፉብኝ፤ ነገር ግን አላሸነፉኝም።

፫ ኃጢአተኞች በጀርባዬ ላይ መቱኝ፥ ኃጢአታቸውንም አስረዘሙአት።

፬ እግዚአብሔር ጻድቅ ነው፤ የኃጢአተኞችን አንገታቸውን ቈረጠ።

፭ ጽዮንን የሚጠሉ ሁሉ ይፈሩ፥ ወደ ኋላቸውም ይመለሱ።

፮ በሰገነት ላይ እንደ በቀለ ሣር፥ ሳይነቀል እንደሚደርቅ፥

፯ ለሚያጭደው እጁን፥ ነዶዎቹን ለሚሰበስብ እቅፉን እንደማይሞላ ይሁኑ።

፰ በመንገዱም የሚያልፉ። የእግዚአብሔር በረከት በእናንተ ላይ ይሁን፤ በእግዚአብሔር ስም እንመርቃችኋለን አይሉም።

💭 ጉብኝት ወደ ፤ ❖❖❖ታላቁ ገዳም ጉንዳ ጉንዶ ማርያም❖❖❖ ፲፬ኛው ምዕተ ዓመት ተመሠረተ

✞✞✞[መዝሙረ ዳዊት ምዕራፍ ፻፳፮]✞✞✞

፩ እግዚአብሔር ቤትን ካልሠራ፥ ሠራተኞች በከንቱ ይደክማሉ፤ እግዚአብሔር ከተማን ካልጠበቀ፥ ጠባቂ በከንቱ ይተጋል።

፪ በማለዳ መገሥገሣችሁም ከንቱ ነው። ለወዳጆቹ እንቅልፍን በሰጠ ጊዜ፥ እናንተ የመከራን እንጀራ የምትበሉ፥ ከተቀመጣችሁበት ተነሡ።

፫ እነሆ፥ ልጆች የእግዚአብሔር ስጦታ ናቸው፥ የሆድም ፍሬ የእርሱ ዋጋ ነው።

፬ በኃያል እጅ እንዳሉ ፍላጾች፥ የጐልማስነት ልጆች እንዲሁ ናቸው።

፭ ከእነርሱ ዘንድ ምኞቱን የሚፈጽም ብፁዕ ሰው ነው፤ ጠላቶቻቸውን በአደባባይ በተናገሩ ጊዜ እርሱ አያፍርም።

✞✞✞[መዝሙረ ዳዊት ምዕራፍ ፻፳፯]✞✞✞

፩ እግዚአብሔርን የሚፈሩት ሁሉ፥ በመንገዶቹም የሚሄዱ ምስጉኖች ናቸው።

፪ የድካምህንም ፍሬ ትመገባለህ፤ ምስጉን ነህ መልካምም ይሆንልሃል።

፫ ሚስትህ በቤትህ እልፍኝ ውስጥ እንደሚያፈራ ወይን ናት፤ ልጆችህ በማዕድህ ዙሪያ እንደ ወይራ ቡቃያ ናቸው።

፬ እነሆ፥ እግዚአብሔርን የሚፈራ ሰው እንዲህ ይባረካል።

፭ እግዚአብሔር ከጽዮን ይባርክህ፤ በሕይወትህ ዘመን ሁሉ፥ የኢየሩሳሌምን መልካምነትዋን ታያለህ።

፮ የልጆችህንም ልጆች ታያለህ። በእስራኤል ላይ ሰላም ይሁን።

_________________________________

Tigray Crisis: A Conversation With General Tsadkan Gebretensae, Tigray Defense Force Central Command

💭 ከትግራይ መከላከያ ሰራዊት ማዕከላዊ እዝከ ጄነራል ጻድቃን ገብረ ትንሳኤ ጋር የተደረገ ውይይት

✞✞✞[ትንቢተ ኢዮኤል ምዕራፍ ፪፥፩፡፫]✞✞✞

“የእግዚአብሔር ቀን መጥቶአልና፥ እርሱም ቀርቦአልና በጽዮን መለከትን ንፉ፥ በቅዱሱም ተራራዬ ላይ እሪ በሉ፤ በምድርም የሚኖሩ ሁሉ ይንቀጥቀጡ፤ የእግዚአብሔር ቀን መጥቶአልና፤ የጨለማና የጭጋግ ቀን፥ የደመናና የድቅድቅ ጨለማ ቀን ነው፤ ታላቅና ብርቱ ሕዝብ በተራሮች ላይ እንደ ወገግታ ተዘርግቶአል፤ ከዘላለምም ጀምሮ እንደ እነርሱ ያለ አልነበረም፥ ከእነርሱም በኋላ እስከ ብዙ ትውልድ ድረስ እንደ እነርሱ ያለ ከእንግዲህ ወዲህ አይሆንም። እሳት በፊታቸው ትባላለች፥ በኋላቸውም ነበልባል ታቃጥላለች፤ ምድሪቱ በፊታቸው እንደ ዔድን ገነት፥ በኋላቸውም የምድረ በዳ በረሃ ናት፤ ከእነርሱም የሚያመልጥ የለም።”

General Tsadqan Gebretensae is a key member of the Tigrayan Defence Forces Command and widely regarded as one of Africa’s best military thinkers and strategists.

“ጄኔራል ፃድቃን ገብር ትንሳኤ የትግራይ መከላከያ ሀይል አዛዥ ቁልፍ አባል ሲሆኑ ከአፍሪካ ምርጥ ወታደራዊ አዋቂዎች እና ስልተኞች መካከል አንዱ እንደሆኑ በሰፊው የሚታወቁ ናቸው።”

ኤዶማውያኑ ምዕራባውያን ላለፉት ስምንት ወራት የሚካሄደውን የዘር ማጥፋት ጦርነት በቃል ከማውገዛቸው በቀር ምንም ሊያደርጉ ያልቻሉበት ዋናው ምክኒያት የጽዮንን እና የጽላተ ሙሴን ኃይል ዓይተው ለማረጋገጥ ስለሚፈልጉ ነው። ለአብዛኛዎቹ የሕዝቡ መሰቃየት እና ማለቅ ብዙም አያሳስባቸውም። አሁን አንድ በአንድ እየወጡ ልክ ራስ አሉላና በከፍተኛ ደረጃ ሲያሞካሿቸው እንደነበረው ጄነራል ፃድቃንንም በማሞካሸት ላይ ናቸው። አዎ! በዘመነ ደርግና በባድሜው ጦርነትም ‘ልታይ ልታይ’ ሳይሉ በደንብ አስመስክረዋል። አሁን ደግሞ “ዳግማዊ አሉ አባ ነጋ” የሚለውን በጣም ልዩ የሆነ ክብር ለማግኘት ወደ አዲስ አበባ በማምራት የአረመኔውን ግራኝ አብዮት አህመድ አሊንና ጭፍሮቹን አንገት ቆርጠው ወደ አክሱም ማምጣት አለባቸው፤ ለጽዮን ልጆች ስቃይና ሰቆቃ ብሎም ለአፄ ዮሐንስ መበቀል አለባቸው። ነፍሳቸውን ይማረውና ጄነራል ሰዓረ ግራኝን በእሳት ጠረገው የሽግግር መንግስት ማቋቋም ነበረባቸው።

💭 የምኒልክ ኢትዮጵያ አራት ትውልዶች በኢትዮጵያ መናኽሪያ በአዲስ አበባ ኃውልት ወይም መታሰቢያ ጎዳና እንኳን ያላቆሙላቸው/ያልሰየሙላቸው ጀግናው ራስ አሉላ አባ ነጋ ቀዳማዊ በወቅቱ እንግሊዞች ሳይቀሩ “ከሃኒባል በኋላ የተፈጠረ ጀግና ጥቁር ጄኔራል አሉላ ብቻ ነው” ብለው ሲያደንቋቸው ነበር።

(የቀይ ባህሩ አንበሳ አሉላ አባ ነጋ በጎልማሳነታቸው)

አሉላ አባ ነጋ ትግራይ ውስጥ በተንቤን አውራጃ መናዌ በምትባል መንደር እንግዳ ቁቤ ከተባሉ ገበሬ ነው የተወለዱት። በወጣትነታቸው በሚያሳዩት ጀግንነት የአጼ ዮሃንስን የዚያን ጊዜውን ካሳ ምርጫን ትኩረት ስበው ነበር።

አሉላ በቅድሚያ ጀግነታቸውን ያስመሰከሩት ጉንደትና ጉራዕ በዋለው ጦርነት ለወረራ የመጡትን ግብጾች ለነጋሪም እንዳይተርፉ ከጨረሷቸው በሁኣዋላ ነው። ከዚህም ድል በሁዋላ በ፴፭/ 35 ዓመታቸው ራስ ሆነው ተሾሙ። የመረብ ምላሽ ገዥም ሆኑ። የአስመራን ከተማም ቆረቆሯት በዚህን ጊዜ ነው። ቁልቁል ወደ ቀይ ባህር እየተመለከቱም ኢትዮጵያን ለመውረር ለሚመጣ ጠላት ሁሉ መቅሰፍት ሆኑት።

በኩፊት ጦርነትም ማህዲስቶችን ድል አድርገው ለእንግሊዞች በር ከፍተውላቸዋል።(ሁኣላ ቢክዱንም) በዚህ የተናደዱት አሉላ የእንግሊዙን ተወካይ አውጉስቶስ ዋይልዴን ሲያገኙት “ አገርህ እንግሊዝ ምን ማለቷ ነው የሄዊትን ስምምነት ጥሳ ጣልያን ያገሬን መሬት ልትወስድ የፈቀደችው? ከቦጎስ የግብጾችን መከበብ ተዋግቼ ነጻ አላወጣሁም? ከሰላ ላይ ኣስቸጋሪውን ጦርነት አልተጋፈጥሁም? የምችለውን ሁሉ አላደረግሁም? እናንተ እንግሊዞች እናንተ የምትፈልጉትን ካደረግንላችሁ በሁዋላ ተዋችሁን (ካዳችሁን) ”ሲሉ በንዴት ገልጸዋል።

(What does England mean by destroying Hewett’s treaty and allowing the Italians to take my country from me? …Did I not relieve the Egyptian garrison in the Bogos country? Did I not fight at Cassala when it was too late? Have I not done everything I could? You English used us to do what you wanted and then left us)

ከእንግሊዝ ክህደት በሁዋላ ኢትዮጵያን ሊወር ተጠናክሮ የመጣውን የኢጣልያ ሰራዊት ሰሃጢ ላይ አድክመው ዶጋሊ ላይ ጨረሱት። በዚህ ጦርነት ፬፻/400 የጣሊያን ወታደርና ፳፪/22 መኮንኖችን በመግደል ጠላትን አሸማቀውታል። የኢትዮጵያውያን ጀግንነት የታየበትና የጥቁር ዘር ሁሉ የኮራበት፤ የበላይነት የሚሰማቸው የነበሩ ነጮችም ልካቸውን ያወቁበት ታላቁ የአድዋ ድል ጉልህ ድርሻ የአሉላ አባ ነጋ ነው። ጠርጣራውና የጠላትን ተንኮል አጥርተው የሚያውቁት አሉላ በሰላዮቻቸው ባገኙት መረጃ ነበር ጣልያን የተፈጠመው። አዋዕሎምና ጓደኞቻቸው የኢጣልያንን መንቀሳቀስ፣ የመጣበትንም አቅጣጫ፣ የጦሩንም አይነትና መጠን ለራስ አሉላ መረጃ ሰጡ። አውጉስቶ ዋይልድ ስለ ራስ አሉላ የአድዋ ጦርነት አስተዋጾ የሚከተለውን ብሏል፦

“The Abysssinians never expected to be attacked, and the Italian advance would have been a complete surprise, had it not been for Ras Aloula, who never believed the Italian officials, and would never trust them. Two of his spies observed the Italians leave Entiscio, and arrived by a circuitous route, and informed Ras Aloula, who was one mile to the north of Adi-Aboona, that the enemy was on the march to Adowa. The Ras immediately informed King Menelik and the other leaders, and the Abyssinians prepared for battle, sending out strong scouting parties in all directions in front of their positions towards Entiscio. During the battle itself, Ras Alula was assigned to watch the Gasgorie Pass and block the arrival of Italian reinforcements coming from Adi Quala“

❖ ያኔ በራስ አሉላ መሪነት የጽዮን ልጆች በአድዋ የተቀዳጁትም ድል ሆነ ዛሬ በእነ ጄነራል ጻድቃን የሚመራው የጽዮን ሠራዊት እያስመዘገበው ያለው ድል ሦስት ቁልፍ የሆኑ ነገሮችን ይጠቁሙናል፦

፩ኛ. ድሉ ሁሌ የእግዚአብሔር መሆኑን፤ በጽዮን ማርያም እናታችን እርዳታ የተገኘ ድል መሆኑን

፪ኛ. የኤርትራ፣ የኦሮሞ፣ የአማራ እና የሶማሌ አህዛብ ወታደሮች በአክሱም ጽዮን ሰማዕታት ላይ ጭፍጨፋ ያደረጉት ጽላተ ሙሴን ለማውጣት ባለመቻላቸው ስልተናደዱ ነበር። እንግዲህ ጽላቱን ወደ ደቡብ ኢትዮጵያ ለመውሰድ አለመቻላቸውንና ተልዕኳቸውም አለመሳካቱን ይጠቁመናል።

፫ኛ. ኢትዮጵያዊ ያለሆነው የኦሮሞ፣ የአማራ፣ የሶማሌ ሰአራዊቶች እና የኤሚራቶች ድሮኖች በህብረት የተሳተፉበትን አንድ ሚሊየን የሰው ኃይል ያካተተውን ይህን የጭፍጨፋ ጦርነት በድል ሊቀዳጅ የሚችለው ጽላተ ሙሴን በእጁ፣ በደሙ እና መቅኒው ውስጥ የያዘ፣ ጽዮን ማርያምንና ቅዱሳኑን ለእርዳታ መጥራት የሚችል ሠራዊት ብቻ መሆኑን ይጠቁመናል።

👉 የአሜሪካ ሆሊውድ ፊልም ሰሪዎችን አባባል ልጥቀስና፤ “ጽላተ ሙሴን የያዘ የአንድ ሃገር ሠራዊት በዓለም ኃያሉ ሠራዊት ነው!!!”

☆ Raiders of the Lost Ark (CIA Meeting)

„An Army That Carries The Ark Before it… is Invincible„

❖Soldier of Zion | የጽዮን ወታደር❖

👉 ፈሪሃ እግዚአብሔር ያለው ክርስቲያን ሠራዊት ሁሌ ያሸንፋል!

✞✞✞[መዝሙረ ዳዊት ምዕራፍ ፸፯]✞✞✞

፩ ሕዝቤ ሆይ፥ ሕጌን አድምጡ፤ ጆሮአችሁንም ወደ አፌ ቃል አዘንብሉ።

፪ አፌን በምሳሌ እከፍታለሁ፤ ከቀድሞ ጀምሮ፥ ያለውንም ተምሳሊት እናገራለሁ።

፫ የሰማነውንና ያውቅነውን፥ አባቶቻችንም የነገሩንን፥ ለሚመጣ ትውልድ ከልጆቻቸው አልሰወሩም።

፬ የእግዚአብሔርን ምስጋናና ኃይሉን ያደረገውንም ተኣምራት ተናገሩ።

፭ ለልጆቻቸው ያስታውቅ ዘንድ ለአባቶቻችን ያዘዘውን ምስክር በያዕቆብ አቆመ፥ በእስራኤልም ሕግን ሠራ፤

፮ የሚመጣ፥ ትውልድ የሚወለዱም ልጆች ያውቁ ዘንድ፥ ተነሥተው ለልጆቻቸው ይነግራሉ፤

፯ ተስፋቸውን በእግዚአብሔር እንዲያደርጉ፥ የእግዚአብሔርንም ሥራ እንዳይረሱ፥ ትእዛዙንም እንዲጠብቁ፤

፰ እንደ አባቶቻቸው እንዳይሆኑ ጠማማና የምታስመርር ትውልድ፥ ልብዋን ያላቀናች ትውልድ፥ ነፍስዋ በእግዚአብሔር ዘንድ ያልታመነች።

👉 Will the ceasefire between Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian government’s bring lasting peace to Ethiopia?

Editor’s note: General Tsadqan Gebrretnnssaye is a key member of the Tigrayan Defence Forces Command and widely regarded as one of Africa’s best military thinkers and strategists. He was a former top Ethiopian army general. He is widely-regarded as one of the masterminds of Operation Alula which in late June 2021 led to major reversals for the Ethiopian army in Tigray. In this interview, conducted in Tigray on 6 July by The Elephant, General Tsadqan spells out his views on peace and the way forward for Ethiopia.

The Elephant: What is the context of what is happening in Tigray?

General Tsadqan: I don’t need to go back to the horrendous atrocities that have been committed against the people of Tigray by invading forces of Isaias and Abiy, but after the offensive, after what has happened recently, the Ethiopian government is in my opinion living in an illusion. It is an illusion that has been created by themselves. They tried to deny the reality on the ground. They tried to cheat the world by saying they have declared a unilateral ceasefire while they have been defeated. We decimated two brigades of their forces which were running away from Mekelle, so this nonsense of unilateral ceasefire is a drama that has been created by themselves. Instead, they should recognize the realities on the ground and come with a realistic solution. You cannot have a ceasefire at a time when you have already blocked every movement of goods and services. Ethiopian Airlines is not flying to Mekelle, there is no telephone, there is no internet, there is no power, there is no road transport, humanitarian aid has been blocked. He cannot talk about any unilateral ceasefire while trying to strangle the whole people of Tigray.

So, I think I would like the international community to understand the situation we are in. We have been very much restrained because we don’t want to be seen as if we are not accepting a political solution. The whole problem is not only in Tigray but in the whole of Ethiopia. We know the Government forces are almost finished but at the same time we are restraining ourselves for a realistic political solution to the whole problem. I would like the international community to understand this situation, that is the message I have now.

The Elephant: You were a part of the group that mediated between the PM and the TPLF before war broke out, what led you to break off that role?

General Tsadqan: You are right, myself and a group of prominent political individuals in Ethiopia have been trying to mediate. The basis of the interaction we had was to accept the existing Constitution of Multinational Federalism and resolve any other issue apart from it. In my interaction with the PM, it was very clear that he was looking for; (A) dismantling the Multinational Federalism, which brought Ethiopia together and (B) he was looking for a solution that is not a political peaceful solution but preparing himself for war. That was very clear for me in our last meetings. So I had to make a choice. I knew that the political solution to Tigray would not come, in my interactions with him. I was interacting with the President of Tigray, Debretsion Gebremichael. On the part of Tigray, I saw willingness to resolve the issue, as long as the Multinational Federal Constitutional Arrangement is respected. That was not the case with Dr Abiy Ahmed, so I had to take a position. And at the same time, there was no other choice. The Ethiopian Government invited foreign forces to invade our country, so the choice was either to surrender to foreign forces or Abiy’s forces, or join the resistance. I chose the latter.

The Elephant: Those final meetings you had with the PM, when was that, 2019 or 2020?

General Tsadqan: I think it was 2020. It was not 2019. We had several, we had some meetings earlier, precisely around three major meetings, but the last one was in 2020.

The Elephant: When did you specifically join the armed resistance?

General Tsadqan :It was after November.

The Elephant: Could you explain the relationship btw the TPLF, the TDF, the Government of Tigray and your position now?

General Tsadqan: The TPLF is the ruling party, the TDF is a word that has been coined, not in a negative sense but in a positive sense, during the resistance. The whole resistance is led by the Government of Tigray, not the TPLF, as a ruling party it might have its say but the resistance is led by the Government, the duly elected Government of Tigray. The Government of Tigray has established a Central Command which decides on all issues related to war and peace, all issues: political, diplomatic, military, economic issues, this body is chaired by the President of Tigray, Dr. Debretsion, and the military effort is one aspect of the resistance. I serve as a member of the Central Command in the structure that I have described, so the TPLF is the ruling party, the Government of Tigray is the one leading the resistance, through a structure called the Central Command that decides on all issues related to peace and war. The TDF, the Tigrayan Defense Forces, is an element in the whole structure that is being commanded by the Central Command. Below the Central Command there is a structure called the Military Command, the Military Command specifically directs and commands operations in the army. This is the arrangement.

The Elephant: Were you expecting to win control of Tigray so soon or even at all, did it come as a surprise to you?

General Tsadqan: No, it didn’t come as a surprise to me. In fact, I am on public record even before the war started telling people, you know, of all regions, the Region of Tigray is a region which shall not head for war but at same time is not scared of war. I know the history, I know the potential, when this thing started it was very clear that the most senior, most highly experienced commanders are from Tigray, which has been the backbone of the Ethiopian armed forces for the last thirty years, highly experienced because most of them have gone through two major wars, I very much know the military tradition of Tigray, so when you combine those two elements, highly experienced and skillful commanders and a society with a very deep military tradition, it only takes a short period of time to reorganize and regain control. That’s exactly what happened.

At the same time, this has been facilitated by the atrocities committed by the enemies of Tigray, that created a widespread opposition and dedicated of the youngsters to finish all this within a short period of time. When all those things came together, given the experience we had, we had to organize the fighting units, train the fighting units, and it was clear for us that when we get some time, we will create a very formidable fighting machine, and that’s what has happened.

The Elephant: how many POWs do you currently have?

General Tsadqan: I might miss some of the information, the latest information I have before five days is around more than 8000, the prisoners of war kept increasing, they might have increased a little bit. But that is the figure I know.

The Elephant: Do you want to say about plans for treatment of these POWs?

General Tsadqan: No, I don’t think there is anything in particular, I know my colleagues are in touch with the ICRC, and will handle them according to international law.

The Elephant: What is the current humanitarian situation? What actions are you hoping the International Community will take?

General Tsadqan: As has been described by the international media several times and by UN Agencies, the humanitarian situation is extremely dire. The Ethiopian Government is trying to aggravate this by blocking any connection with Sudan and any other corridor. Even they have blocked air communications. So the Government of Tigray and the Central Command have decided, I think it has been communicated, we are ready to accept any humanitarian assistance, ready to facilitate anything that the U.N. or any humanitarian assistance agencies would like to have, security, we will provide security to the areas we control, more than 90 percent of Tigray, we will comply with their requirements, so my message is, there is a huge need for humanitarian assistance and we are ready to accept any assistance, if the international community means business, let them come and do what is required to save lives in Tigray.

The Elephant: what will happen if the PM continues to refuse humanitarian access to your region?

General Tsadqan: Not only resisting humanitarian assistance to our region, but if he continues to do the way they are acting, that is, strangling Tigray, blocking power, electricity, internet, air transport, land transport, not only humanitarian assistance but to civilians as well, I think the Government of Tigray and the resistance in Tigray will be required to break its restraint, restraint from military activities, we know we have the capacity, we have increased our capacity, we know we can do what it takes to pressurize the government so if they continue behaving like the way they are doing, playing games, and trying to deceive the world with their illusions, the first consequence will be continuation of operations. We will be left with no other alternative except to resolve it militarily. We would like it to be resolved peacefully but if there is no other choice, then the next choice will be, try to resolve it militarily, and we know we are capable of doing that.

The Elephant: What is your timeline for that option?

General Tsadqan: No, I’m afraid to comment on this. We are watching the situation seriously.

The Elephant: are you prepared to negotiate peace with Abiy and with the Eritrean leader Isaias?

General Tsadqan: I think that’s an issue that we have to deal with when it comes. We have made our points clear on the last declaration of what we mean by a negotiated ceasefire, we have clearly indicated that we are for a negotiated ceasefire. In a negotiated ceasefire, issues are raised and we discuss to resolve them, but the process has to start.

The Elephant: Do you have anything to add to the conditions for the negotiated ceasefire that TPLF released on Sunday?

General Tsadqan: No, I was part of the Central Command that drafted that list and I’m happy with it.

The Elephant: Do you have any message for Ethiopians as a whole?

General Tsadqan: I would like to say it’s very sad that our country Ethiopia is in such a situation. We were forced to act the way we did, because of the Central Government in Ethiopia, is in our opinion directed by Asmara, by Isaias, Isaias’ security forces, intelligence forces are operating in Ethiopia day and night. I hate this kind of situation to prevail in Ethiopia, but at the same time, it is sad to see that Ethiopians are just accepting the behavior of the Central Government, but I would like to say that even though so many atrocities have been committed, it’s not led to resolve our issue peacefully and politically. So, when Ethiopians come out of the illusion that the Prime Minister has created, the reality on the ground is completely different, let Eritreans get out, not only from Tigray, but from all of Ethiopia. Let Ethiopians set their own trajectory themselves.

Eritrea has a heavy hand, heavy presence not only in Tigray but in Addis Ababa and all over Ethiopia as well.

The Elephant: What are the battlefield developments, status of Western Tigray?

General Tsadqan: It’s very clear that Amhara forces are in Western Tigray, it’s obvious that they are preparing to face us. So, we’ll handle it the way they would like to handle it.

The Elephant: Does that mean you are waiting for them to act, you’re not going to push it?

General Tsadqan: No, I didn’t say anything, it is a military situation and we will see the situation and act according to what is warranted militarily for us

The Elephant: have the ENDF and Amhara forces retreated to other side of Tekezze River?

General Tsadqan: They have already blown up bridges, it is very clear that it’s a continuation of the policy of Abiy Ahmed to strangle Tigray and take away a Constitutionally recognized geographic region of Tigray to another area. So, they are preparing themselves across the river. That, we know.

The Elephant: Do you see the capture of Mekelle as a turning point that will lead to a speedy end to conflict or is it opening up a new front in the war, in the north and west?

General Tsadqan: It all depends upon the central government of Ethiopia and its partner Isaias, it could be, it’s very clear that they cannot win the war. The capture of Mekelle and the defeat of the Ethiopian army clearly shows if there was any doubt, that they cannot win this war. On the other hand, the people of Tigray have been under huge atrocities of all kinds, have stood and resisted. The war will continue growing. Even the military experience and the political nature of the just cause of the war, it will keep on growing. So the capture of Mekelle would signal a huge political message to Abiy, to come to his senses and then resolve the political situation not only in Tigray but in all of Ethiopia peacefully, sooner. It has signaled that he cannot get his way by force, that is what he wanted, he could not, he mobilized not only his forces but other forces as well, he mobilized all of the army of Eritrea, he mobilized the technological capacity of the UAE, that did not work. So, for us, we were not craving for war. We wanted a peaceful solution from the very beginning. And it is now after the defeat of Abiy’s forces we are saying, let’s have a negotiated ceasefire. But Abiy and the Amhara elites can resist this, can say no, we’ll have our way by military means, if that is their choice, we’ll see. So it all depends on how they will react. The sooner they come out of their illusion that they have created, that they are riding victory after victory, it will be better for all of Ethiopia and Tigray as well. As long as they live with that illusion, and trying to mobilize innocent peasants and bringing them as cannon fodder to the new fronts that have been created in southern and western Tigray, then the war will continue.

The Elephant: Are there any splits within TPLF, on any topics such as engaging the government, or are you pretty united?

General Tsadqan: Pretty united. Obviously, there are different opinions on how the political situation should be resolved, and resolved once and for a durable period of time. But that is for Tigrayans to discuss among themselves and resolve. That is the situation. On the issue of you know defeating the invaders, and coming to a lasting political situation, there is complete unity.

The Elephant: is there anything you would like to share about journey of your life, as someone who fought against Dergue and toppled it?

General Tsadqan: I would like to say that I am a product of the people of Tigray. The struggle and the pain that the people of Tigray have went through have created people like me, not only me, several like me. So, when all these things are done, I hope some people will have a lot of time, I will have time as well, to go through all this. But for the time being, as I said, I am the product of the struggle and the pain of the people of Tigray.

Thank you very much.

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EU Commissioner: Tigray is Under Siege & Starvation is Being Used as a Weapon of War

👉 A Cease-fire for Siege

💭 The Nazis’ Horrific Siege of Leningrad is Repeated Today in Tigray, Ethiopia

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Ethiopia’s Abiy Ahmed Lost His War, And Now He’s Out for Revenge

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was once the toast of the international stage. On December 10, 2019, he delivered his Nobel Lecture at the Oslo City Hall after winning the Nobel Peace Prize. “I…accept this award on behalf of Africans and citizens of the world for whom the dream of peace has often turned into a nightmare of war,” Abiy said.

In less than a year, however, Abiy would unleash the nightmare of war. Those who know him—not only Ethiopians but also fellow African leaders—describe in Abiy a noxious combination of naiveté, ego, and ambition. When Abiy, like other reformers-turned-dictators before him, unilaterally postponed elections, officials in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region defied his prohibition and held the vote as originally scheduled. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), one-time partners of Abiy who had fallen into opposition—triumphed in polls that were largely free and fair.

There is nothing more dangerous than a Nobel Peace Laureate scorned. In the wake of election, Abiy sent his forces into Tigray where, alongside Eritrean troops, they perpetrated massacres, ethnic cleansing, collective punishment, and mass rape. Ethiopian diplomats and their state-controlled media repeatedly either denied atrocities or blamed them on the TPLF. Abiy’s government, meanwhile, continued to target older, more established Tigrayan leaders in a short-term strategy that prioritized vengeance over unity as the old guard TPLF leaders such as former foreign minister Seyoum Mesfin were the primary voices among the Tigrayan movement to value Ethiopian nationalism; the younger generation sees little to any benefit in remaining part of Ethiopia’s multi-ethnic mosaic.

Few outside Addis Ababa, however, believed Ethiopian denials: Countries innocent of such charges do not prevent access to the territories alleged to be site of humanitarian crimes. Nor is it possible to coordinate the narratives of refugees and eyewitnesses fleeing war.

Nevertheless, in recent months, Abiy’s government has repeatedly said that they had defeated the TPLF, and dismissed anyone raising questions about the situation in Tigray as engaging in propaganda, even as videos emerged of Ethiopian troops captured en masse by the TPLF. Then, the TPLF re-took the regional capital Mekelle. That action was a shock to Ethiopians whom Abiy and state-controlled television daily assured that Ethiopia had roundly defeated the Tigrayans.

Taking his cue from dictators like Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Turkish strongman Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Abiy has now decided to seek revenge on journalists who dared to speak the truth. Consider the case of Tsedale Lemma, chief editor of the English-language Addis Standard, an independent outlet which has sought to cover events in Tigray fairly.  On July 3, Seyoum Tehome, a pro-government blogger, suggested summarily executing an imprisoned journalist and advised arresting Lemma. In effect, those surrounding Abiy and amplifying his bubble now seek to ensure that failure to uphold Abiy’s delusions is a capital crime. In Minsk, Moscow, and Ankara, such castigations are often lethal.

The United States is at its best and most effective when it stands up for freedom in a bipartisan way. It is time for Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the Congressional Black Caucus (full disclosure: I was in the past a Congressional Black Caucus Foundation fellow) and the Republican leadership as well to tell Abiy that the world is watching, and that retribution against Ethiopian journalists for telling the truth will have real and biting consequence.

Abiy and his associates may believe they can pivot to China or whether any sanctions, but they would be foolish to believe that they will personally escape unscathed.

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When Religion Goes Awry: The War on Tigray and the Perversion of Evangelical Christianity

For the last few years, political tensions have been simmering across Ethiopia due to competing political visions and narratives and sharp disagreements about the past, the present and the future of the country. Those tensions eventually boiled to full-fledged war, when on November 04, 2020, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali – claiming that the Northern Command of the Ethiopian National Defence Forces based in Tigray were pre-emptively attacked, launched a military campaign against the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) and its leadership. The military operation initially labelled by the Ethiopian government as ‘law enforcement’ brought together a disparate band of actors – the Ethiopian National Defence Force, the Eritrean Defence Forces and the Amhara Regional Forces. What materialized was a full scale to campaign of destruction resulting in what the patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdeo Church – alongside other notable international observers – have called a “genocide” designed to wipe out Tigrayans.

This campaign is now in its eighth month. From the outset, reports trickling out from underneath the draconian communication blackout imposed by the government, revealed extensive human rights violations and atrocities against civilians. Thousands were displaced and massacred, women and children raped, aid blocked from reaching millions, heritage and religious sites desecrated, critical infrastructures and refugee camps targeted and destroyed. These atrocities and the magnitude and total nature of the war directed against Tigrayans, their culture and identity shocked the world. In the words of the United Nations and human rights organizations, atrocities against civilians are described as cruel and “beyond comprehension”.

In light of all this, the persistent and sustained ideological and religious support given to the war by Ethiopian religious leaders and influencers, has been one of the most troubling elements of this brutal conflict. Most prominent in this regard have been the significant numbers of evangelical Christians who remain some of the most vocal proponents, cheerleaders and advocates for the war, even now.

“Blessed are the warmongers”

Evangelical Chrisitians came out in support of the war the Ethiopian government launched on Tigray from the start. In the first two weeks, gospel singers, influential figures and pastors enthusiastically took part in a social media campaign calling Ethiopian to stand with the Defense forces against Tigray in what was essentially a civil war. Ironically, even the country’s reconciliation commission, made up of the country’s top religious leaders, including evangelical leaders, joined the public endorsement of violence and death. It bears noting that there is of course nothing wrong with Christians to publicly display patriotism. Such enthusiastic support and war mongering in the context of a civil war where millions of fellow members of the Ethiopian religious institutions – brethren in faith and citizenship – are subjected to death and destruction was not only in bad taste but unethical and clear contradiction of Christ’s teaching of being peacemakers.

“Blessed are those who rejoice in the destruction of a city”

The euphoria that followed when the federal government announced the capture of the regional capital Mekelle was unparalleled in the recent history of the country. Prior to the capture, a top army general warned residents of Tigrayan capital, Mekelle – a city of a half a million people – that there would be shelling and that “there will be no mercy”. While millions of Tigrayans across Ethiopia and the world waited with deepest dread and grief to hear about the news about their loved ones in Mekelle and across Tigray, their Christian brothers and sisters were out on the streets cheering and jubilating the fall of the city. The former Ethiopian Prime Minister, Hailemariam Dessalegn, who professes a Christian faith, wrote at the time “Praise God for his mercy upon us” – a twisted but befitting doxology for a city that was shown no mercy.

“Blessed are those who pronounce Christian fatwas”

In the course of the current war in Tigray, Evangelical Christians continued to play an active role in providing religious justification for the war. Weeks into the conflict, ‘prophecies’ about the capture of TPLF (Tigrayan) leaders circulated on social media. A prominent theologian and preacher with thousands of followers on social media wrote that “what is happening in Tigray is God’s judgement” a warped theology that portrays God as the author of death and suffering. The idea that God delights in the death of the innocent is anathema to the central teaching of Christ who came not to judge but save the world. The same person also wrote that “to be a Christian and support the TPLF is similar to becoming a drug-dealing Christian” conflating religious and political convictions.

“Blessed are those who go extra mile to deny massacres”

Three months into the war, a prominent theological scholar wrote an op-ed, denying the massacre of hundreds in the city of Axum. The massacre, as it turned out was not only true, but also referred as as “ranking among the worst documented so far in this conflict” was perpetrated by Eritrean soldiers and verified by Amnesty International, who had interviewed 41 survivors and analysed satellite images. The author, in the name of being objective and providing context, wrote a diatribe about how evil the TPLF is and justified the “law enforcement operation” of the government. While this Op-ed posed as a critical query into media claims – which is an essential and legitimate task – what it ended up being was a blanket denial of an atrocity crime and “whataboutism”. Political considerations or past injustices, however, cannot justify massacres, rape, and the use of starvation as a weapon of war nor can it excuse using assymetric access to media and information to gaslight and to silence Tigrayans speaking out about atrocities being committed on thier families.

“Blessed are those who suppress the critics”

One particular phenomenon that has emerged in the course of the war is the use of prophetic messages and scripture either to silence critics of Abiy Ahmed or portray him as a victim of international pressure. Once videos and reports started to emerge, war crimes and atrocities committed by Ethiopia defense forces, Amhara regional forces and Eritrean defense forces became untenable. The pressure from the international community increased. Tigrayans as well as concerned citizens both at home and abroad started to criticise Abiy Ahmed and his war policy. In the midst of this rising criticism, evangelical Christians began misquoting Romans 13:1 to silence any legitimate criticism of the government. Moreover, some went an extra mile to portray anyone who dared to criticise Abiy as having the spirit of the Anti-Christ. Still others used scripture to portray Abiy Ahmed as king David who was distressed by the rousing anger of people.

“Blessed are those who denigrate bearers of God’s image”

In addition to offering justifications, ideological and theological support and religious legitimacy including to the proof-texting and misinterpreting the scriptures, Christians have also failed Tigrayans by ignoring and contributing to the hate rhetoric against them.

In the first instance anti-Tigrayan othering and “us” ”them” rhetoric ramped up to alarming degrees in the last three years. However, the church kept silent. This is a grave failing by omission. But beyond the silence, religious figures have since the start of the war come out into the open with hate speech against Tigrayans. A prominent scholar and theologian who is a visiting Assistant Professor at a reputable Christian University in the United States recently called Tigray a “curse” that should be allowed to “go to hell”.

A Protestant television transmitted the “exorcism” seen in the clip below which directly and openly demonizes Tigrayans and Tigray. The video shows a woman “possessed” by a “spirit” that has been killing and attacking the Ethiopian national defense forces in Tigray and is aiming to destroy Ethiopia. In a bizarre and worrying coincidence another video of “exorcism” openly demonizing Tigrayans has surfaced in Eritrea.

The critical question is what would Jesus do about the war in Tigray? More importantly, why do evangelical Christians, who claim to worship Christ Jesus – who has taught his disciples to be peacemakers, love their enemies and modeled a life of servant – chose to side with the state that is determined to wipe out Tigrayans and collaborated with a foreign army to bring death, destruction and despair to millions? The Evangelical tradition in Ethiopia prides itself as bible-centered, and as focused on personal renewal and insists and claims to offer the promise of eternal life – but its silence and outright complicity in the current war on Tigray has only brought the thin foundation of its social ethics to the fore. Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, came to seek and save the lost, not to steal, destroy and kill – and it is imperative for his disciples to follow his footstep and stand in solidarity with all who suffer. In the midst of war, the spiritualization of politics and the politicization of religion should be tamed before it engulfs the whole country. Ethiopians of all persuasions bear the image of God, regardless of where one stands in the current politics – all deserve to be treated with respect and dignity.

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