Ethiopia’s TPLF blames federal government for closure of Mekelle airport

ADDIS ABABA — The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) is now blaming the federal government in Ethiopia for the closure of airport saying a government blockage against the Tigray region has made it difficult for the authorities in the regional state to import file necessary for operation of airports.

“Today (June 23, 2022), the authorities in Addis issued a bizarre statement, replete with the usual lies, and distortions, blaming the Government of Tigray for the closure of the airport in Mekelle as of yesterday. The authorities in Addis are once again lying through their teeth as they seek to hoodwink the international community into ignoring their ultimate culpability for the devastating humanitarian crisis ravaging Tigray,” the TPLF said in a statement seen by Sudans Post.

“Unaccustomed to being held accountable for the myriad lies they churn out daily, the authorities in Addis cannot even construct a rationale remotely resembling plausible for why the Government of Tigray, fighting for the very survival of the people of Tigray, would suspend airport operations critical for the delivery of life-saving humanitarian supplies. Since the motivation of the authorities in Addis for allowing limited aid into Tigray is fundamentally political, not humanitarian, their instinct is to play politics with humanitarian aid even as millions of lives are at stake.

“The fact of the matter is that the airport has ceased operations because we have run out of fuel to run it. In fact, we had consistently communicated the elevated risk of the airport ceasing operations to our humanitarian partners due to severe fuel shortage.

“The authorities in Addis, while trying to persuade the international community of their sincerity in facilitating humanitarian aid, continue to enforce a near-total ban on the entry of fuel into Tigray. A tiny step forward, multiple steps backwards’ is their trademark modus operandi.

“Without fuel, aid agencies cannot distribute food and non-food items to where they are desperately needed.

“Now, the authorities in Addis, to whom truth-telling is anathema, are peddling this fictitious narrative because they have no intention of engaging in good-faith efforts to solve the problem.

“While the Government of Tigray is doing everything in its power to ensure the resumption of services at the airport, the authorities in Addis are engaged in what they are best at: propagating utterly false claims and smearing the people and Government of Tigray.

“This is an obvious case of moral inversion where the victimizer blames the victim. We implore the international community to see through this transparent subterfuge and take appropriate measures to rectify the situation.

“As usual, the authorities in Addis are shedding crocodile tears over the suffering of the people of Tigray by pretending that they have nothing to do with that suffering. In reality, they are the chief architects of the suffering of Tigrayans.

“The international community should not fall for the cheap theatrics of the authorities in Addis and hold them accountable for continuing to tighten the noose around the people of Tigray.”