TDF parade captured Ethiopia's soldiers in Mekelle, marches them to prison

TIGRAY, Ethiopia - Thousands of Ethiopia National Defense Forces [ENDF] soldiers were paraded in the streets of Mekelle, the regional administrative capital of Tigray, before being taken to various prisons in the region which witnessed massive war crimes in the last eight months.

ENDF troops withdrew from the Tigray region on Monday after months of violence, rape, torture, and murder targeting civilians and TDF, in what Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said was a strategic move due to "financial constraints" and international pressure to pave way for humanitarian assistance.

But TDF, which has been critical of PM Abiy Ahmed, dismissed the calls for a ceasefire, arguing that "we defeated them, we are now following them to hideouts". ENDF warned that "we shall come back to Mekelle if need be", with Abiy Ahmed warning that "let them not try to attack Amhara people".

Photos taken by the New York Times showed thousands of ENDF troops who were captured in the war being paraded in Mekelle before they were taken to prison. The entire Tigray region is now under TDF control after the exit of ENDF, Eritrea troops, and Amhara regional forces.

The Ethiopian government has dismissed the "defeat" narrative, terming TDF a "terrorist group spreading lies in the country". Abiy Ahmed has already insisted that his operations to restore order in the Horn of Africa nation will continue in the coming weeks.

According to New York Times, a 14-year-old girl dashed out into the street to run alongside the column, shouting her admiration for the leader of the Tigrayan forces, calling him a “lion.”

“All these soldiers tried to kill us,” the girl, Mearge Gebroemedhin, said a few moments later, referring to the Ethiopian government forces. “But the Tigrayan soldiers showed their mercy. I am proud of our soldiers.”

While some in the crowd jeered the soldiers, the onlookers focused much of their anger on the Ethiopian prime minister, Mr. Abiy.

Nearly eight months before, Mr. Abiy had sent his forces to Mekelle to wrest power from the region’s leaders, declaring the move was necessary because the Tigrayans had held local elections without permission from the federal government, and had tried to capture an Ethiopian military base.

Now the victorious Tigrayan leaders are back in Mekelle, reoccupying their former offices.

In a lengthy, exclusive interview soon after he arrived from his holdout in the mountains, Debretsion Gebremichael, the leader of the ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, said that his fighters had captured more than 6,000 Ethiopian soldiers.

He said that Tigrayan officials have been in touch with the International Committee of the Red Cross, and would soon release the low-ranking soldiers, but would keep officers in custody.

Under the Geneva Conventions, prisoners of war must be given food and clothing, and protected from violence, intimidation, and “public curiosity.” There was no immediate indication that the Ethiopian soldiers had been mistreated, or whether marching them through the streets of Mekelle amounted to a violation of the Conventions.

Ever since Ethiopia announced a unilateral cease-fire on Monday and pulled its troops out of Mekelle, Tigray has experienced electricity, telecommunications, and internet blackouts. The consequences will exacerbate an already dire humanitarian situation, according to the United Nations.

International aid agencies warned of a looming humanitarian catastrophe and said it was unclear if the rebel victory would allow international assistance to start reaching those most in need in the Tigray region, which is bordered by Eritrea to the north and Sudan to the west.

The U.N. said that at least 350,000 people in the conflict-ravaged region had entered a state of famine. The U.S. Agency for International Development put its estimate for those facing famine conditions at 900,000."

The United Nations Security Council on Friday discussed the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia, accusing the ENDF of blocking main supply routes. The UN asked Ethiopia's authorities to cooperate for the sake of promoting peace and stability in the country.

GAROWE ONLINE