“As you are all aware, the TPLF was labelled as a terrorist organisation not because of ideological differences, a political programme, the TPLF’s possession of weapons, or the fact that it held elections. The TPLF was labelled a terrorist organisation not merely to make our defence forces feel more at ease in continuing the fight. To continue the war, we do not need to label TPLF as a terrorist group; we can already declare war on the basis of the constitution and military establishment’s decree. The defence is now fighting many armed groups in several parts of Ethiopia, including Gambella and Benshangul. However we have not labelled these armed groups as terrorist. Until recently, Only OLF and TPLF have been labelled as terrorists. For some time after the war began, the TPLF was not labelled as a terrorist organisation. The fundamental purpose for labelling the TPLF as terrorist is to control and weaken TPLF’s political and economic power, as well as provide better capacity to our defence and federal police” –Minister, National Security Advisor to the PM of FDRE, Redwan Hussein (22.03.2023).
There was some of us that questioned the timing and the adjusted labelling of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). Just as the House of Federation ceased and revoked the designated terrorist organisation label of the party. The National Security Advisor to the Prime Miniser, Redwan Hussein told the blatant truth.
I am not shocked or confused. It was as I expected, because this war wasn’t a constitutional one or a “law enforcement” operation, which they claimed when they invaded the Tigray region in November 2020. No, it was to settle old grudges and consolidate power after the revitalized EPRDF became the Prosperity Party. The PM felt betrayed that the TPLF wouldn’t become part of the PP. That’s why the PP needed reasons to invade and annihilate the TPLF. Making them a terrorist organization was giving them more reasons to destroy, kill and possible commit to genocide in the Tigray region. They were fighting the TPLF and the evils of the region in this war.
The terrorist label was also to give reasons and boost the moral of the soldiers. It was also to get more legal justification for the war and the invasion of the region. That is what the National Security Advisor said. We are seeing it was a political gambit and done to justify the war. It wasn’t on the basis of how the political party operated or activities it was a part of. No, it was all done to strengthen the invasion and the war-machine itself.
This just shows what the “Medemer Terror” is all about. It just shows what the Prosperity Party is willing to do to succeed. They are willing to name-call and designate people or parties as terrorists, just to get ahead and justify a brutal or bloody war. That’s what the PP is up too. This is what the ruling regime of Abiy is doing and has done.
If you believe this people or their spin. They were willing to lie and define the “enemies” as “terrorist” just because they could and had the legal instruments to do so. Not, because the party or the TPLF fit the criteria. No, it was only done to boost their own moral and create more reasons to get rid of them.
That really saying something and I would never think anyone would state this. I thought it was this way, but Redwan Hussein just verified what we already knew. The PP just wanted selfish reasons to annihilate the TPLF. Because, the TPLF dared to rebel or renegade against the merger or consolidation of power of the EPRDF to the PP. That’s all it was and the “terrorist” label was just pinned on them to give the FDRE more weapons or more power to execute a brutal war. Peace.
MinBane 