Ethiopian Soldier Recounts Harrowing Experience Under TPLF Forces’ Captivity

A harrowing experience of an Ethiopian soldier following an attack of the northern command on November 4

Borkena

December 10, 2020 

On November 4, 2020, TPLF forces attacked several bases of the northern command of Ethiopian Defense Force killing hundreds of soldiers and wounding others.  Thousands of soldiers were detained after they came under siege under unsuspecting circumstances. It was a “preemptive attack” for the TPLF forces. 

Private Sultan Adem was a member of the 7th Mechanized Division of the Northern Command.  Commander of the forces in the division, Colonel Gere Gebremariam, had all the information about the planned attack, and was presumably a part of the plot. The rest of the army members in his division had no knowledge about what was to happen. 

Later they heard gun fires and that they were told that they  were under siege from TPLF forces. After three days, with no food and water, Colonel Gere convinced the army to go get some water, but he asked escorts. 

He came back with water but those who escorted him were arrested. It was after that that Colonel Gere attempted to coax the division to disarm and surrender to TPLF forces. “I do not want any member of the division to lose his life. Other divisions including the mechanized artillery division have disarmed and handed over weapons. We are the only division that did not disarm,” he said. “No” was the answer he got. “We prefer dying rather than disarming,” the commander was told.

As the soldier got out of the Division’s premise to assess the situation outside, they realized that they were under total siege with heavy weaponry including tanks. And they were forced to disarm. After surrendering their guns, the soldiers were taken to Shiraro and then to Akusm, Abi Adi and Quiha. They were made to walk hundreds of kilometers. 

“We then heard a fun fire,” private Sultan recalls.   As the Ethiopian Defense Force arrives to their rescue, TPLF forces run over several soldiers with Sino trucks and tanks.

Private Sultan had a chance to escape but only to be caught by TPLF militia forces who took all their belongings including 11,000 Ethiopian birr.