Ethiopian federal forces responding to Afar ‘invasion’ by TPLF – gov’t

ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopian government has said that its federal forces are responding to what it calls “harassment and invasion” by the rebellious Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), days after the TPLF leader Debretsion Gebremichael said he is in talk with the government in Addis Ababa for a possible ceasefire.

In December, Ethiopian federal forces announced that it had pushed away Tigray rebels from both Afar and Amhara, but the TPLF said it has decided to return to some parts of Afar because Eritrean forces and local militias there were using the Afar as a launching pad for attacks against the Tigray region.

In a statement today, the federal Government Communication Service (GCS) said aid delivery to the Tigray region by international aid organizations has been made impossible in recent days, accusing the Tigray rebels turned away at least 43-truck aid humanitarian convoy mean for Tigray.

“Despite efforts to bring aid to the region by land transport, 43 trucks sent by international partners have been forced to return, following a series of attacks by the terrorist group in the Afar region and its raid on some areas,” the statement by the GCS reads in part.

The statement accused the TPLF of undermining aid delivery and therefore responsible for the death of Tigray population which international aid group said are in dire need of food, adding that federal government forces and their allies in Afar are responding to TPLF harassment and invasion.

“The fact that the terrorist group has repeatedly harassed the area, which is the only source of aid, clearly shows that the group does not care about the people of Tigray and is pursuing its political interests by trading only in its name,” the statement said.

“The [Ethiopian National Defense Forces], together with the Afar Special Forces, are responding to the harassment and invasion of the terrorist group and are responding appropriately,” the statement concluded.