Update: 11:22:2020
What inspired the Crisis Chronicles is a statement put out by Human Right’s Watch Director Gerry Simpson, who tweeted something that was so inflammatory that it took my breath away. He posted, in cryptic ways, that the Ethiopian National Defense Force was about to declare open season on 500,000 Mek’ele civilians. Shocked, I asked for clarification and requested that he provide the source where he got that from. I found out that the source he is citing is a Reuters report which was citing a military officer giving a warning to Mek’ele residents to leave town before the fighting starts.
Let me say from the outset that the military officer’s comments where ham-fisted and had a bit too much bravado for my liking, which is what Gerry Simpson and Reuters jumped on. The officer stated that residents should take precaution to leave the area after which he stated that there will be no mercy. Unlike TPLF, who are shooting of rockets indiscriminately into Gondar and Eritrea in an effort to induce mass casualties, the ENDF is giving advance warning so that residents are not caught in the cross-hairs. #Ethiopia Click To Tweet
The officer never said directly that the Ethiopian military would have no mercy on civilians, he could have also been saying that about the TPLF militia who have decided to turn the residents of Mek’ele into human shields. It is the height of malice to take a sloppy quote that leaves room for interpretation and turn it into a statement that is advocating crimes against humanity.
Cite source @GerrySimpsonHRW, are you quoting a random blowhard on Twitter or are you quoting an #Ethiopia|n government official/military officer. If you have no source you are quoting, you sir are trafficking in yellow press journalism. #Ethiopia https://t.co/hXlknvThUT
— Teodrose Fikremariam (@TeodroseFikre) November 22, 2020
I will reiterate what I said from the outset, Abiy Ahmed and the Ethiopian National Defense Force should take every measure to avoid civilian casualties. War is hell and there will always be harm to those who are not joining the battle, but it’s one thing to have “collateral damage” (a term I detest but is the fact of all conflicts) versus the intentional and willful killing of unarmed civilians. However, it must be said that there has not been one report that proved or even insinuated the Ethiopian National Defense Force have targeted civilians or taken part in indiscriminate targeting of innocents. To the contrary, the only report that emerged of civilians being massacred was the one that was issued by Amnesty International where eye witnesses blamed TPLF militias for killing hundreds of unarmed men, women and children.
If there are any reports prove the Ethiopian National Defense Force targeted or murdered civilians, I will be the first to fully condemn these actions and I will then put the onus on Abiy Ahmed as I do on TPLF. I continue to urge Abiy Ahmed and the Ethiopian government to ensure that Tigrayans are not persecuted in this campaign to root out the TPLF, the target should be specific and narrow, bringing to justice terrorists who initiated this conflict to begin with. As far as the TPLF, for the sake of the Tigrayans which you supposedly speak for, stop turning Mek’ele into a fortress and using civilians as umbrellas. You ruled for 27 years, just because you are no longer at the head of the table does not mean you have to burn the country down unless you get your way. Tigrayans have suffered enough, lay down the weapons you picked up and take your battles from the bullet to the ballot box.
Purpose of Crisis Chronicles
After sitting back and watching a procession of “journalists”, “diplomats”, and “human rights advocates”, with hidden motives, report “news” emerging from Ethiopia with transparent agendas that have nothing to do with the wellbeing of Ethiopians, I have been sufficiently moved to stop relying on foreign observers to report truth and I’ll just present news myself.
Let me put a couple of caveats from the outset, I am of course relying on the very same reports I’m criticizing so my job is to give context and providing analysis on the developments in Ethiopia. I will not report anything that is not substantiated, I will try to be objective but will not let objectivity keep me from telling the truth as I see it, and when I make mistakes, I will own up to it.
Additionally, I am in touch with some Ethiopian reporters and journalists who have a lot of contacts in Ethiopia, so during the times I am actually able to present news as opposed to presenting analysis, I will label it as such. I will be posting updates at least once a day on this same link so feel free to bookmark this page and check back daily to see where things stand in Ethiopia and the region as a whole.
If there is breaking news I will note it as such. If you are in Ethiopia and you have verifiable information you want to pass to us, please email us at info@ghionjournal.com, all information received will be treated as strictly confidential unless otherwise stated. The daily Crisis Chronicles will be in descending order from newest to oldest, with today’s entry above. If you are tired of having our stories told for us by others, join the Ghion Journal as we convey our stories for us and by us.
Teodrose Fikremariam
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