Debretsion Gebremichael: Genocide still going on in parts of Tigray, Ethiopia

In this image from video, Tigray's regional president Debretsion Gebremichael speaks during an interview in Mekele, in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia on Wednesday, July 7, 2021. (AP Photo)

MEKELLE, Ethiopia - Despite the efforts to restore peace and calmness in the Tigray region, genocide is still going on in some parts of the Tigray region, area President Debretsion Gebremichael has claimed, noting that there is a need to address a number of pending issues for the sake of stability.

Tremendous progress had been made in various parts of Tigray following a peace initiative brokered by the African Union through former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and his Kenyan counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta, who managed to initiate a ceasefire in Tigray after months of turmoil.

But there seems to be a number of concerns after Debretsion Gebremichael said almost half of Tigray is still in the war despite efforts for peace and stability. According to him, Eritrean soldiers were freely roaming in Tigray even after they were ordered out of the troubled region.

Also in the mix are the Amhara regional militia who are also yet to exit from Tigray even after endless calls from stakeholders. The United States and the African Union have been pushing for the exit of the occupational troops who increasingly engineering discomfort in the region.

He said that it is 'unacceptable' that half of the Tigray region is peaceful, while "genocide" is going on the other side. Western Tigray had been under Eritrean troops who were working at the behest of Ethiopia, which had struggled to contain the Tigray People's Liberation Front [TPLF].

For the first time in the history of the country since the war started two years ago, senior Ethiopian officials led by Redwan Hussein, the advisor to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on matters of national security, visited Mekelle, the regional administrative capital of Tigray region.

The delegation noted outstanding peace progress in the town which had been immersed in full war since November 2020. But there had been massive destruction of key economic apparatus such as banking and communication which had been destroyed following bombings by the national army.

GAROWE ONLINE