Ethiopian Defense Force Responds to TPLF Statement

It called on TPLF to correct the statement issued in the name of Tigray regional state 

Borkena

November 1, 2020 

The Ethiopian Defense Force this week released a statement in response to Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) administration’s position in regards to appointment and assignment of military commanders. 

The statement from the latter said that Tigray region will not recognize new appointments of military commanders to the northern command (which is in Tigray). The party argues that Abiy Ahmed’s government is no longer legitimate to make changes to the military command structure as its mandate ended on October 5.

Brigadier General Jemal Mohammed, who was appointed as deputy commander of the northern command, was sent back to Addis Ababa from Alula Aba Nega International Airport during this week. 

Ethiopian Defense Force statement which was released on October 30th stated that it will not tolerate “forces working to erode Ethiopian Federal Democratic Republic Defense Force mission to guard peace,security and development of the people.” 

The seven points statement that TPLF issued last week ( it is available here) asserted that changes to the defense force will not be implemented in Tigray. It went to the extent of dictating the mobility of the northern command – which caused outrage among the Ethiopian Defense for commanders. 

The Defense Force statement said that TPLF’s statement is inappropriate. It is said that the deployment in the region is made with the objective to ensure the sovereignty of the country but the statement from the regional body impedes the defense force’s mission to achieve that. 

It has called on the authorities in the region (TPLF leaders) to rectify the statement they released. 

In the past few months the confrontation was/is between Abiy Ahmed led Federal Government and Tigray region’s administration. 

Now it is morphing to a confrontation between the Defense Force and the TPLF leaders in the region as the latter is aspiring to control the northern command. 

The International Crisis Group claimed this week that the tension between the federal government and Tigray region government could lead to what it called “damaging conflict.”

The TPLF government has reportedly demonstrated interest in dialogue but the preconditions are unlikely to be accepted by the Federal government. They want Abiy Ahmed to resign from the position.