UNESCO's “Dead Silence” to Heritage Destruction By Terrorist TPLF in Ethiopia Reveals Hidden Agenda

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s response with dead silence to heritages destruction and plundering by the terrorist TPLF in Ethiopia plainly demonstrates the fact that the organization has a hidden agenda by leaving aside its duties, a University History lecturer said.

In an exclusive interview with Ethiopian News Agency, Kotebe Education University History lecturer, Alemaw Kifle said that the terrorist TPLF has resulted tremendous destructions and lootings of historical sites, heritages and religious places during its invasion of areas in Amhara and Afar regions.     

In addition to the killing and displacement of many civilians as well as vandalizing of properties in the regions, the terrorist group has destroyed religious institutions and burned antiques and scriptures.

Almaw, who is also a historian and legal expert, blamed the relevant international organizations particularly, UNESCO which has remained silent in the face of the terrorist group's destructions and lootings of world heritages.

UNESCO has ignored the grave threats caused by the terrorist group on the world heritages like Lalibela churches and other historical sites, he said adding that “the choice of silence was unbalanced and not expected from an international institution like UNESCO.”

He said the organization was only working for the benefit of some countries in the West.

“Any heritage that is situated in Ethiopia is not only owned this country.  It is the heritage of the entire world as it traces human civilization. Therefore, we need to know about UNESCO or other UN agencies that they can  only respond  in their best interests and react with their own interests and emotions,” Alemaw revealed.

According to him, “Whether UNESCO or other UN agencies always say their laws are universal, but in practice it is not universal. Basically, they are the institutions that enable other Western powers to dominate in terms of education, science, technology and culture.”

He also asserted that UNESCO’s decision to remain silent was based on the premise that some Western powers have been encouraging the terrorist TPLF to destroy heritages and pressurizing Ethiopia to fulfill their ill-intended interest.

Those Western-backed organizations are working to destroy the country beyond heritage, he indicated.

According to him, history has shown that Iraq, which has a great human heritage, has been robbed by some powers in the West in the pretext of a peacekeeping mission.

It is to be recalled that the Government of Ethiopia expressed concerns over the reluctance of UNESCO and WHO in revealing the damages caused by the TPLF terrorist group in Tigray, Amhara, and the Afar Regional States on the country’s cultural heritage and health facilities.