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In Ethiopia, a government statement published on Saturday December 17 has sparked renewed tension between the federal authorities and those of Tigray. Two and a half months after the signing of the Pretoria peace agreement, a text published by a public communication agency affirms that the government could ” take measures to protect the inhabitants of the capital Mekele from the organized crime ».
It is a twelve-line statement, published in English and Amharic, on the Twitter account of the ” Government Communications Service Ethiopian. He does not name anyone in particular. He only condemns organized crime » commis « especially in Mekele “, of the ” vols “perpetrated” with an armed accompaniment and denounced to the government by telephone by habitants ” from the city.
The ” criminals ”, which are not named, will be put “ facing their responsibilities “, adds the press release:” The federal government will take all necessary measures to guarantee the safety of the population ».
« Ethiopia plans to restart the war “, immediately worried the analysis Rashid Abdi, of the Sahan Research Institute, stressing that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was taking advantage of the success of his reconciliation trip to Washington, on the occasion of the US-Africa summit.
The Tigrayan authorities did not fail to react, but more cautiously. Their spokesperson Kindeya Gebrehiwot replied by recalling that ” heinous crimes such as rapeextrajudicial executions, kidnappings and looting » continue in areas held by Eritrean and Amhara forces, who have still not withdrawn from Tigray.
« I wonder how people communicate by phone when there is no phone service in Mekele “, he concludes.
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