ENDF mistaken journalist for aid worker in latest attack in Tigray

NAIROBI, Kenya - The recent attack that left three aid workers dead was triggered by a photo of a Finish journalist who was pictured in the company of Getachew Rada, the advisor to Tigray presidency and a former powerful minister in the Ethiopian government.

Sources within Ethiopia National Defense Forces [ENDF] say the military targeted MSF workers following the photo of Liselott Lindstrom, a Finish journalist, who was pictured with Rada, a critic of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's administration.

In their minds, reports indicate, the military was angered that "these aid workers are collaborating with Tigray People's Liberation Front TPLF". The TPLF, now otherwise known as Tigray Defense Forces [TDF], has been at loggerheads with the Ethiopian government.

The Ethiopian government and security forces, having seen the viral photo, accused the "aid workers" of collaborating with "terrorists" and vowed to treat them as "enemies". The journalist was covering stories in the Tigray region.

The Medecins Sans Frontieres [MSF] confirmed the death of three aid workers, whose death may have otherwise been triggered by the viral photo of the journalist with Getachew Rada. The organization has been helping the vulnerable populations in Tigray for months now.

Those who died were identified as Maria Hernandez, emergency coordinator; Yohannes Halefom Reda, assistant coordinator; and Tedros Gebremariam Gebremichael, driver and were traveling when the organization lost contact with them.

"No words can truly convey all our sadness, shock, and outrage against this horrific attack. Nor can words soothe the loss and suffering of their families and loved ones, to whom we relay our deepest sympathy and condolences," the organization said.

"We condemn this attack on our colleagues in the strongest possible terms and will be relentless in understanding what happened. Maria, Yohannes, and Tedros were in Tigray providing assistance to people, and it is unthinkable that they paid for this work with their lives."

Maria Hernandez, 35, from Madrid, Spain, started working for MSF in 2015, in the Central African Republic. She had since worked in Yemen, Mexico, and Nigeria. Yohannes Halefom Reda, a coordination assistant, was 31 years old, from Ethiopia; he joined MSF in February 2021. Tedros Gebremariam Gebremichael, 31, also from Ethiopia, had been a driver for MSF since May 2021.

The world is under pressure to tame Abiy Ahmed, who is now accused of shutting down communications in all parts of Tigray except Mekelle, cutting off electricity, roads and blocking humanitarian aid besides air bombardment and blanket shelling in civilian areas.

Thousands of civilians have been massacred in the Tigray region, a move that has triggered cancellation and revocation of visas from senior government officials as the US and other European nations find ways of curbing the crisis. The ENDF has been carrying operations at Tigray since November 2020.

In the mix are Eritrean troops who are accused of attacking civilians in Tigray in the pretext of pursuing the TPLF fighters. The war was triggered by the TPLF attack on the Northern Command and subsequent rocket launch that targeted Asmara, the capital of Eritrea.

GAROWE ONLINE