• TERMS OF USE
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • ETHICS COMMITTEE
  • SUBMITTING AN ARTICLE
Sunday, May 18, 2025
Sudans Post
  • HOME
  • NEWS
    • SOUTH SUDAN
    • SUDAN
    • REGION
  • EDUCATION
  • CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
  • PRESS RELEASES
  • OPINIONS & ANALYSES
  • ABOUT US
  • CONTACT US
  • عربي
No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • NEWS
    • SOUTH SUDAN
    • SUDAN
    • REGION
  • EDUCATION
  • CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
  • PRESS RELEASES
  • OPINIONS & ANALYSES
  • ABOUT US
  • CONTACT US
  • عربي
No Result
View All Result
Sudans Post
No Result
View All Result

Ethiopia hits back at Western powers for ‘perpetuating destructive narrative’ on Tigray conflict

Ethiopia on Tuesday accused the United States of "perpetuating a destructive narrative" after Washington and its allies sounded the alarm over reports that the authorities were unlawfully detaining citizens on ethnic grounds.

by Sudans Post
December 7, 2021

Ethiopia's Press Secretary Billene Seyoum speaks during a joint press conference with spokesperson of the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, in Addis Ababa, on June 23, 2019. [Photo by Duardo Soteras/AFP via Getty Images]
Ethiopia’s Press Secretary Billene Seyoum speaks during a joint press conference with spokesperson of the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, in Addis Ababa, on June 23, 2019. [Photo by Duardo Soteras/AFP via Getty Images]
ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopia on Tuesday accused the United States of “perpetuating a destructive narrative” after Washington and its allies sounded the alarm over reports that the authorities were unlawfully detaining citizens on ethnic grounds.

The US and other Western nations released a joint statement Monday saying they were “profoundly concerned by recent reports of the Ethiopian government’s detention of large numbers of Ethiopian citizens on the basis of their ethnicity and without charge,” urging a halt to the arrests.

Ethiopia’s government declared a nationwide state of emergency in early November after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) rebel group claimed major advances on a key highway to the capital Addis Ababa.

Troubling reports have emerged since then, with Ethiopia’s state-affiliated human rights watchdog estimating that thousands of people have been rounded up.

Lawyers and rights groups say the detentions appear largely to target Tigrayans based on their ethnicity alone.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s spokeswoman Billene Seyoum told a press conference that the measures were not targeting “any particular group of people based on their ethnic identity”.

“Insinuating in that regard is misguided, it’s not only misguided but it’s also perpetuating a destructive narrative,” she said, adding that the detentions were “based on credible evidence and testimony”.

Her comments came hours after the government announced it had retaken the strategic towns of Dessie and Kombolcha, the latest in a round of territorial advances claimed by pro-Abiy forces.

After the rebels reported major territorial gains as part of a march towards Addis Ababa, Abiy announced last month that he would head to the battlefield.

Since then, the government has announced the recapture of several small towns, including the UNESCO World Heritage site of Lalibela which is famed for its 12th-century rock-hewn churches.

The TPLF has dismissed the government’s claims, saying the rebels were making strategic withdrawals and remained undefeated.

Fears of a rebel march on Addis Ababa have prompted countries such as the United States, France and Britain to urge their citizens to leave Ethiopia as soon as possible, although Abiy’s government says the city is secure.

The war erupted in November 2020 when Abiy sent troops into Tigray to topple the TPLF — a move he said came in response to rebel attacks on army camps.

But the rebels mounted a shock comeback, recapturing most of Tigray by the end of June before expanding into the neighbouring regions of Amhara and Afar.

The fighting has killed thousands of people, displaced more than two million and driven hundreds of thousands into famine-like conditions, according to UN estimates.

The African Union has been spearheading international efforts to try to broker a ceasefire but so far little concrete progress has been reported.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sudans Post

Sudans Post is an independent, young, and grass roots news media organization aimed at providing readers with an alternate depiction of events that occur on Sudan, South Sudan and East Africa, and to establish an engaging social platform for readers to discover and discuss the various issues that impact the two countries and the region.

SUDANS POST

  • ABOUT US
  • Client Portal
  • Client Portal
  • CONTACT US
  • ETHICS COMMITTEE
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBMITTING AN ARTICLE
  • TERMS OF USE

RECENT NEWS

  • Former Akobo Commissioner bids farewell, calls for peace
  • South Sudan joins world leaders at papal inauguration in Vatican

SUBSCRIBE TO SUDANS POST

Get the news delivered right into your inbox and subscribe!

Loading
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • TERMS OF USE
  • ETHICS COMMITTEE
  • SUBMITTING AN ARTICLE

Copyright © 2019–2025 Sudans Post - All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • NEWS
    • SOUTH SUDAN
    • SUDAN
    • REGION
  • EDUCATION
  • CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
  • PRESS RELEASES
  • OPINIONS & ANALYSES
  • ABOUT US
  • CONTACT US
  • عربي

Copyright © 2019–2025 Sudans Post - All rights reserved.