• Praises army’s discipline in protecting civilians during operation
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that the Tigrean People Liberation Front (TPLF) junta has been sponsoring and inciting ethnic violence with the aim of instigating instability and disintegrating the country.
Responding to the questions raised by MPs on current issues yesterday, Prime Minister Abiy said that over the last two and a half years, 113 such incidents have occurred in various parts of the country except in Tigray.
After sowing the seeds of division along ethnic and religious lines, the junta sponsored and masterminded 37 conflicts in Oromia regional state alone. Yet, TPLF claims as if it stands for the people of Oromia after leaving many lives in shambles, he said.
Prior to the start of the reform, he said, the country’s defense forces were dominated by one group. “More than half of the officers in the army were drawn from one ethnic group and it took time to reform the institution,” he said
He praised the members of the Defense Forces and the Northern Command for the sacrifices they paid and their heroic response to ensure peace and stability and the country’s sovereignty. “Members of the Army conducted the operation with utmost discipline and without causing harm on civilians,” he added.
Regarding the government’s effort to resolve the issue through negotiation, Abiy said “we had been continuous calling for negotiation until the junta attacked the Northern Command of the National Defense Forces. No country will tolerate such a treacherous action carried out on its defense forces.”