Ugandan Journalist Urges Int'l Community to Stop Supporting TPLF for Normalcy to be Restored in Tigray Region

Addis Ababa, October 29,2022 (ENA) Normalcy will not be restored in the Tigray region of Ethiopia until the world and the international community stop supporting the TPLF, Ugandan journalist Kungu Al-mahadi Adam said.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, Plus News Uganda Managing Editor Kungu Al-mahadi Adam said the international community has played a very big role in escalating this conflict by providing support to the TPLF.

The international community is not condemning the TPLF for all the atrocities they have committed on their own people in Tigray, the editor noted.

Adam, who has extensively written about the conflict in the north and issues pertaining to Ethiopia, said the TPLF carried out the first attack on the northern command in Tigray region, which was the cause of the conflict.  

After the TPLF chose to move to Tigray and reorganize themselves when they lost power in 2018, they plotted strategies on how they could incite violence so that they can find their way to get back to power, which the public and entire population of Ethiopia, has rejected.

The sole intention of TPLF is to get back to power they exercised for over 27 years, the editor noted, adding that whatever they have been conspiring since November 4, 2020 is all premised. It rotates around the plan to use whatever means to get back to power.

“The West and the USA know this fact. Apart from so many falsehoods being propagated by the Western media and other Western countries, this is a war between the Government of Ethiopia and the regional government of Tigray, which is absolutely not right. TPLF is not representing the views of the population in Tigray. In the first place, we are talking about an armed group that is dissatisfied with the fact that they lost power,” he explained.

Adam revealed that he had first hand witnessed several people from Tigray crossing to neighboring regions when he visited Kombolcha in the Amhara region; and he interacted with a number of people that escaped the atrocities of TPLF.

Many of them told me that TPLF was forcing children as young as 9 and 10 years into engaging in military activities and many women and young children being raped by this group.

Domestic animals have been killed, education and health facilities were destroyed by the TPLF in Kombolcha, the editor stated, adding these facts are proof that TPLF is anti-people and peace.

They cannot pretend to be defending the people of Tigray, when they are killing, raping them and destroying essential facilities as well as keeping them in hostage.

“Right now the people of Tigray have no freedom to make decision of their own. They are all being kept in captivity and they are all forced to support this criminal and illegal activity of TPLF.”

Coming to the international community, Adam said that they are fueling the conflict. The fake narrative of the international media has been propagated claiming that the Ethiopian government is killing its own people and making various statements which were not true.

“The international community has played a very big role in escalating this conflict by supporting TPLF and not condemning them for all the activities they have done, committed on their own people in Tigray.”

We have not seen the international community upholding the efforts being done by the federal government,” he pointed out.

From the onset, the government has been very clear that it wants peace in Tigray and has put up all the necessary mechanism to ensure that peace prevails. But all these efforts have been frustrated by the TPLF, the editor stated.

Adam, who is also radio presenter at Radio for Uganda and hosts political talk show at Baba TV, underscored that until the world and the international community appreciate that TPLF doesn’t represent the people of Tigray, normalcy will not be restored in the region.

The Government of Ethiopia, remaining is steadfast in ensuring the safety of Tigray people, he said.

Therefore, it is a constitutional mandate of the federal government to ensure the safety and peace in that region, which it has been doing from the first day.

According to Adam, the TPLF has no more authority to demand cessation of hostilities. The government has always wanted peace in Tigray.

He pointed out TPLF is just a small clique of veterans that has been causing havoc. Therefore, the government will table for the peace talks underway in South Africa on how the victims get justice for all sorts of crime the TPLF has committed and bring the perpetrators to justice.