General Bacha Debele Reveals What Happened to the Northern Command

General Bacha Debele share findings from fact finding mission to northern Ethiopia where the Ethiopian Defense Force is fighting TPLF forces.

General Bahca Debele ( Photo: screenshot from EBC video)

Borkena

November 10, 2020

The Federal government under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) leadership have been trading accusations for the outbreak of the war in Northern Ethiopia which government rather depicts as “an operation to enforce the rule of law and order in the region.”

TPLF leaders who retreated to Mekelle, the seat of Tigray regional state, after they lost dominance over the federal government following Abiy Ahmed’s takeover of power in 2018 accused what they call “unitary group of Abiy Ahmed,” for the clash in the north which is now morphing into a full-fledged war involving both ground and air force operation. The TPLF also claimed that the Northern Command has deserted and resolved to fight the Federal government along with the forces of Tigray regional state.

The narrative from the Federal government has been saying that an insidious and brutal attack on the Northern Command post from within the same command post triggered the conflict. Ethiopians across the country, regional states of Ethiopia, and opposition parties have been condemning the TPLF attack on the Ethiopian Defense Force which means that that story about TPLF attempt to take control of the northern command post by launching an attack from within the army command convinced the majority of Ethiopians. The outrage on social media platforms is another testimony.

General Bacha Debele who was on early retirement, apparently on political grounds during the time when TPLF dominated the federal government, was recently recalled by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed along with two other generals(General Abebaw Tadesse and General Yohannes Gebremeskel ) who were also on early retirement.

General Bacha was sent on a mission, along with General Abebaw Tadesse, to the northern front to investigate as to what happened in the northern front.

He returned to the capital Addis Ababa and had a press statement to share to the public findings from his investigative mission.

He said TPLF used some Tigrigna speaking members of the northern command to plan operation, cut communication with the higher defense command, and attacked the army.