Ethiopian Citizen

LEFT: Eskinder Nega, Jawar Mohammed, Bekele Gerba, Sibhat Nega   ADDIS ABABA, JANUARY 07, 2022 - Ethiopia grants amnesty to members of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) leadership Sibhat Nega, Abay Woldu, Abadi Zemu, Kidusan Nega, Mulu Gebregziabher, Kiros Hagos and key opposition figures such as Eskinder Nega, leader of the opposition Balderas for Genuine Democracy, Jawar Mohammed, member of the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) and Bekele Gerba, deputy of the OFC.  The Ministry of Justice announced this evening that the cases against Jawar Mohammed and Eskinder Nega was dropped according to Proclamation 943/2016 which sets out the duties of the attorney general. It said the case was dropped in order to ensure the effectiveness and inclusiveness of the upcoming national dialogue.  With regards to the TPLF leadership who were pardoned, the Ministry of Justice said that the cases against them was dropped after taking into consideration their dwindling health and

  ADDIS ABABA, JANUARY 06, 2022 — The Alewuha bridge connecting Woldiya with Kobo was restored after it was destroyed in early December 2021 by Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) fighters as they retreated into Tigray.   The bridge was destroyed with heavy explosives and has made transporting humanitarian assistance into Kobo difficult. The 55 meter bridge was restored within 10 days time and it is now capable of handling 60 tonnes of load. The destruction of the bridge is typical of the TPLF's strategy of war in Amhara and Afar. The group has destroyed over four thousand schools and ransacked more than three thousand health facilities in both Amhara and Afar regions.

ADDIS ABABA, JANUARY 06, 2022 – The United States Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman will be visiting Ethiopia today amid reports of his departure from his post as a Special Envoy to the Horn. Fetlman has become very unpopular among Ethiopians due to his attempt to reinstate the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) back to power. Today's visit marks the Special Envoys last attempt to rescue the infamous TPLF which was designated terrorist group by the Ethiopian Parliament in May 2021 along with its partner Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). Unlike Fetlman, Ethiopians including the government does not see the TPLF as a force for good especially after its fighters recently massacred thousands of civilians, raped women and destroyed thousands of civilian infrastructures in Amhara and Afar without taking into consideration the atrocities it committed during its brutal 27 year rule on Ethiopians. Feltman’s approach as a Special Envoy was manipulative and full of threats .

Just like Russia, China, and India pragmatically multi-align between Iran and Israel in mutually beneficial ways that don’t harm either of those rivals’ interests, so too can Ethiopia do the same, especially since it has millennia of diplomatic experience that its representatives can easily employ to that end. By Andrew Korybko —  American political analyst The Jewish Insider published an extended article on Monday asking “ Are Israel and Iran competing on the same side in Ethiopia? ” It builds upon earlier reports about Ethiopia’s alleged drone ties with Iran, which haven’t been officially confirmed. The outlet quoted some commentators who expressed worry about those rumors. The overall tone of the Jewish Insider’s article is an anxious one and suggests that Israel has something to fear about the earlier mentioned reports. The purpose of the present piece is to argue that such anxieties are unfounded and that there isn’t any reason for Israel to worry. For starters, Ethi

More than 800 schools were damaged in Afar alone by the TPLF [Picture: Ministry of Education] ADDIS ABABA, JANUARY 03, 2022 - The Ministry of Education called on the Ethiopian Diaspora community today to help it rebuild the schools ransacked by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) terrorists in Amhara and Afar. "A country cannot stand without its educational institutions. Education is the basis for everything. We need a generation that will responsibly take over the affairs of this country tomorrow. We build this generation today. But the educational institutions that are responsible in building this generation are heavily damaged", read the statement from the Ministry of Education released this afternoon. Due to the TPLF terrorist invasion of Amhara and Afar, 703 schools were completely destroyed, 3,887 schools incurred partial damage and 1.9 million students are forced to be out of school. The Ministry said its staff are working to make these schools even better

ADDIS ABABA, JANUARY 03, 2022 – In Robit Secondary School, Raya Kobo, Amhara region, 19 graves were uncovered out of which three were mass graves, each containing about 30 bodies, according to the Ministry of Education. The graves were put there when the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) fighters had occupied Raya Kobo Woreda for over five months and made the school their camping location. Since their occupation, the TPLF terrorists had looted and destroyed over 129 schools in Raya Kobo alone. The destruction of schools had followed similar patterns elsewhere in Amhara and Afar which is not just about causing destruction to government property but also ensuring children in these regions will not be able to return to their education in the future. When it was operational, Robit Secondary School, used to provide education to over 1,800 children.

ADDIS ABABA, JANUARY 03, 2022 – Hayk and Kombolcha Secondary School teachers say they are ready to return to teach despite their schools not being restored from the damages caused by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) invaders, according to the Ministry of Education. The TPLF terrorists have looted most educational resources in Amhara and Afar. The terrorists were reportedly using teaching boards for shooting practice since they have no use to carry such material to Tigray as most children there are being forced to become soldiers than attend schools. Nevertheless, this has not deterred teachers in Hayk and Kombolcha from going to school and start teaching. In fact, they say they are motivated more than ever to equipping their students with the lessons of life even though resources are limited. The TPLF fighters did not just ransack thousands of schools in Amahra and Afar, they have even used the schools as military camps and graveyards. Millions of students have been force

Prime Minister Abiy’s government has always stood for peace and reconciliation as evidenced by one of the central tenets of his Medemer philosophy. This isn’t anything new, and it precedes the ongoing war by two and a half years. By Andrew Korybko —  American political analyst The Western Mainstream Media is spinning another fake news narrative by implying that Ethiopia’s National Dialogue Commission (NDC) was created due to their pressure. NBC News, for instance, headlined a story about this titled “ Ethiopia passes law to start national dialogue commission amid pressure to end Tigray conflict ”. This is a false assessment of the situation that deliberately misportrays the government’s motivations. Prime Minister Abiy’s government has always stood for peace and reconciliation as evidenced by one of the central tenets of his Medemer philosophy. This isn’t anything new, and it precedes the ongoing war by two and a half years. The NDC is a practical application of that philo

School yard turned into a graveyard [Picture: Ministry of Education] ADDIS ABABA, DECEMBER 29, 2021 – In Al Najashi Secondary School, South Wollo, Amhara region, more than 60 graves, including mass graves, which were dug by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) terrorists were found, according to the Ministry of Education. The graveyards were found inside the school which also served as terrorist military camps. The terrorists stole most of the computers in the school while burning books, laboratory equipment and other materials which they could not carry.  Al Najashi Secondary School, South Wollo, Amhara region [Picture: Ministry of Education] The students are traumatized and hence cannot attend classes especially unless the government places the corpses elsewhere, said members of community.  In mid October, it was reported that more than 1.5 million students have dropped out of school as a result of the TPLF invasion into Amhara region. The group completely destroyed 277 scho

House of People’s Representative (HoPR) ADDIS ABABA, DECEMBER 29, 2021 – Ethiopia’s House of People’s Representative (HoPR) approved the draft Proclamation 1265/2014 for the establishment of the National Dialogue Commission today during its second special session held with Legal, Justice and Democracy Permanent Committee. The draft proclamation received a majority vote with 13 votes against it and one abstention.  Parliament member Dr. Desalegn Chanie, National Movement of Amhara Party, objected the rush to establish the commission at a time Ethiopians in the north are in difficult situation to express their opinions. The draft proclamation was approved following the decision of the Council of Ministers to establish a National Dialogue Commission, on December 10, and after the HoPR conducted two rounds of discussions , on December 20 and 25, with stakeholders and the public aiming to form a Commission which will genuinely resolve problems. During the discussions concerns were raised

  ADDIS ABABA, DECEMBER 29, 2021 – Kombolcha Hospital, which had been ransacked and looted by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) fighters when they occupied Kombolcha town in November, has begun partial operation after acquiring some medical equipment. Dr. Tefera Gobeze, Medical Director of the hospital, told Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) that the TPLF fighters looted the hospital and destroyed those materials which they could not carry with them. Starting last week, the hospital began providing emergency services and services for pregnant women. The hospital also began providing surgery after receiving medicines and material support from Alert Hospital, a government administered hospital in Addis Ababa. The medical director also said that 90% of the hospital workforce has returned to their post and are committed to serve the community more than ever. “Although the terrorists have destroyed the hospital, they have not destroyed our knowledge and motivation”, said Dr. Kumilachew

Woldiya City, capital of North Wollo Zone, Amhara region ADDIS ABABA, DECEMBER 29, 2021 – When the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) fighters occupied Woldiya city for five months, it converted Churches and Mosques into military camps where they would also prepare their food, said Haji Aligaz, Secretary of North Wollo Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Supreme Council, when he spoke to Ethiopian Press Agency (EPA) journalists.  “Places of worship should be respected. Mosques should be respected. Churches should be respected. But they don’t know the meaning of respect and hence couldn’t honor the place. That is why they desecrated Mosques and Churches”, said Haji Aligaz. Haji Aligaz, Secretary of North Wollo Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Supreme Council Haji Aligaz said the terrorists have burnt Holy Scriptures and materials used at the places of worship. He also said they have beaten people inside the places of worship. They turned made many respectable people handicaps, he said. “We thought

By Ahmed Yusuf Editor-in-Chief, EthiopianCitizen.com  An article that is said to have been written by General Tsadkan was published yesterday on the Elephant, a Nairobi based online platform critical of Ethiopia’s war against the TPLF terrorists. The article titled “Pertinent Issues on the War in Tigray” was written mainly to the Western world in order to gain the much needed help TPLF requires after its embarrassing defeat in Amhara and Afar. The General, in an attempt to desperately appease his Western allies, has not shied away from painting the article with many lies that if not exposed will surely mislead many who are unaware. 1. “the War in Tigray” The General has misleadingly included in the title of his article “the War in Tigray”. However, the fact is that there has not been a conflict in Tigray. This is because ever since the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) withdrew from Tigray after the federal government declared a humanitarian ceasefire in June, General T

  ADDIS ABABA, DECEMBER 27, 2021 — The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) terrorists, during their occupation of Amhara, have killed over 600 people in Kobo, a town in Amhara region, 200 km south of Mekelle. What is worse is that 89 innocent civilians were killed in one day and buried in a mass grave. The family of the deceased were not even allowed to follow the sacred burial rites that their religion obligates. The TPLF faced its most fierce resistance from Raya patriots and militias on September 08, 2021, and many of its fighters were killed. And as a retaliation, the terrorists returned on September 09 with heavy weapon and large number of fighters and massacred 89 Amhara farmers, women and the elderly in a singe day. Witnesses say, however, this number does not include those whose whereabouts is still unknown. "There was guns blazing around our block. It was 5am in the morning. They entered our house and took four men who were our relatives. I told them they were ju

Drawing attention to their commonalities is meant to show how closely these countries’ recent histories are aligned, which can in turn spur more people-to-people ties. By Andrew Korybko —  American political analyst Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Russian President Vladimir Putin are different leaders who nevertheless share very similar background experiences and visions for their historically diverse civilization-states. Drawing attention to their commonalities is meant to show how closely these countries’ recent histories are aligned, which can in turn spur more people-to-people ties. What follows is a comparison of these leaders, after which a general summary will be made. Security Backgrounds PM Abiy’s and President Putin’s most formative professional experiences came from the security sector. The former worked in both the military and intelligence while the latter was only employed by the second-mentioned. Nonetheless, these institutions greatly shaped their outl