Int’l Community Urged to Pressurize TPLF to End Its Violence, Enter Peace Talks

Addis Ababa September 14/2022/ENA/ Ethiopia’s Ambassador to UK, Teferi Melesse said the international community now has an urgent choice to pressure the TPLF to end its violence and enter peace talks or remain silent and embolden the group to expand it offensive.

In his article posted on Al Jazeera website, the ambassador underscored that “The international community now has an urgent choice to make, one it has so far shied away from. It can either pressure the TPLF to end its violence and enter peace talks, or it can remain silent and embolden them to expand their offensive.”

He added the  return of hostilities in the north of Ethiopia last month has devastated the country’s hard-earned progress towards a lasting peace.

After almost two years of war and widespread destruction, the fragile hope that communities in Tigray, Afar and Amhara were grasping at has been stolen, Teferi indicated.

The ambassador stressed that it is important that they (TPLF) are held to their word.

Since March this year, a government-led truce had held strong, he indicated. The humanitarian ceasefire has allowed unprecedented aid to reach Tigray with more than 4,000 trucks delivering food, medicines and other vital supplies.

The World Food Programme confirmed in late July that the immediate risk of famine had been averted, he said.

The TPLF invaded and occupied towns and villages in Afar and Amhara, bringing untold misery to the Ethiopians living there. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have documented the TPLF’s use of rape as a weapon of war, killings of innocent civilians, looting of aid and the destruction of public infrastructure.

While the Ethiopian government and the Ethiopian people have used the truce to try and secure peace, the TPLF has been bolstering its forces, Ambassdor Teferi noted.

Reports from numerous sources have suggested the recruitment of child soldiers, he indicated.

“The government outlined its openness to undertake peace talks at “any time, anywhere” and did not insist on any preconditions. The AU’s role as a mediator was welcomed and steps were taken to demonstrate our intent, such as the release of TPLF prisoners.”

However, on August 22, just two days before this new outbreak of violence, the TPLF published comments rejecting the AU’s participation in talks and outlined a series of unrealistic conditions that would need to be met in order to even consider engaging.

"For too long, it has been left to the Ethiopian government to try and bring the TPLF to the table. I believe the government has exhausted every possible approach. That is why it is now time for the international community to end its silence on the actions of the TPLF and call on its leadership to lay down arms and engage in the AU-led talks."

Time is of the essence. On the day of the first attack, the United Nations and World Food Programme issued an alarm over the theft of 12 tankers with 570,000 litres of fuel from a WFP warehouse in Mekelle by TPLF forces. As the WFP chief David Beasley stated, millions will starve if aid agencies can’t deliver food.