Embassy Blasts NYT’s Report on Northern Ethiopia Conflict

August 30, 2022

BY YESUF ENDRIS

ADDIS ABABA- Ethiopian Embassy in United States-Washington DC has written a protest letter to The New York Times (NYT) disapproving the 24 August article titled: “Fighting Erupts in Northern Ethiopia, Shattering Ceasefire.”

In the letter to the NYT Magazine Editor, the embassy stated that the aforesaid article missed mark — both in the body of the article and its “Understand the War in Ethiopia” section.

The letter went on stating that the Ethiopian Government continues to pursue a peaceful solution to the conflict through the peace talks envisaged under the auspices of the African Union.

“The embassy recognizes the New York Times as a leader in ensuring the international community is objectively informed about the facts of the present conflict. But, the article fails to acknowledge that TPLF forces rebelliously instigated the conflict in November 2020 by attacking various Ethiopian National Defense Force bases in Tigray.”

The letter reminded that the U.S. Government acknowledged this fact when then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and then Assistant Secretary of State for African  Affairs Tibor Nagy condemned the TPLF’s attacks on Ethiopia and Eritrea.

The TPLF leadership had at the time also admitted this fact. Yet again, while the Ethiopian Government calls for and is ready for unconditional peace talks anywhere, any time and on any subject, the TPLF refused to sit for negotiations and reignited the war by attacking the National Defense Force positions in Amhara and Afar states in multiple fronts, according to the letter.

“Worse, the article suggests that Prime Minister Abiy “began [the] military campaign” out of political malice. Personification of the conflict is inappropriate,” as to the embassy’s letter.

The Prime Minister has a sacred obligation to preserve the national unity, territorial integrity, and sovereignty of Ethiopia by responding to a blatant attack on its National Defense Force, the letter indicated.

Adding, a sharper contrast could not be drawn between a duly-elected federal Government and a rebellious political party than the TPLF’s stealing of fuel from the World Food Programme this week, the embassy said.

“We implore the New York Times to more carefully present the facts of the conflict in Tigray moving forward. Inaccuracies like those presented on August 24 risk emboldening further aggression in Ethiopia and other parts of the world where democracy is under threat. Your readers deserve to know the truth about the causes of this conflict and an accurate reflection of current developments.”

The Ethiopian Herald 30 August 2022