Ethio-Eritrean Alliance for Peace & Stability in the United Kingdom
The humanitarian crises that have been engineered and exasperated by belligerent TPLF leaders in Ethiopia in general and Tigray region in particular require the attention of all humankind. TPLF’s traitorous attack on those who were defending the Ethiopian borders and helping the Tigrayian people during the COVID-19 and locust swarm had resulted in their complete isolation and condemnation from all Ethiopian. Tigray region is open for humanitarian assistance and investigation of human rights violation by all parties involved in this conflict. The UN Human Rights Council is to launch a joint investigation with the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission.
We the undersigned leaders of Ethiopian and Eritrean Communities in the United Kingdom, grassroots organisation working for peace, stability, in the two countries held a Peace Rally in London on 3 May 2021 and passed the following joint statement and put the requests at the end of this letter to the Government of the United kingdom.
It is to be noted that the Horn of Africa has been the hotspot of inter-state wars, inter-communal conflicts and politically motivated violence that devastated millions of families and taken far more many lives. Local corrupt and criminal actors, who practice politics of hatred, polarise communities along ethnic, religious and clan lines together with global conflict entrepreneurs have been exasperating the suffering of the people and fuelling the conflicts in the region.
Amid the gloom realties, there are also tangible initiatives and resolves for peace and cooperation and urge you to support the peace endeavour, regional stability and economic cooperation that is led by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize winner and Eritrean President Issais Afwerki.
On July 9, 2018 the governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea have signed a historic agreement that ended three decade long animosity that caused untold misery, destruction and lost opportunities to both countries. The joint agreement which reflects the desires and aspirations of their people paved a strong foundation and roadmap for peace, development and cooperation that extends beyond the two countries. However, those who intend to benefit from the instability, human trafficking and conflict in the Horn of Africa worked relentlessly to reverse the historic peace agreement, dump the peace and development it brought, and engineer humanitarian crisis.
After relentless two years media campaign against Eritrea and Ethiopian government, fuelling ethnic and sectarian hatred and militarizing section of the population, on 03 November 2020, the forces loyal to Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) launched what they called surprise pre-emptive attack on the Northern Command of Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF).
According to those who survived the attack, the Northern Command forces that refused to succumb to the armed robbery, were either being mercilessly killed and their dead bodies left naked and unburied for days. A portion of ENDF fought heroically and resisted the attack until they get support while others a large segment crossed to the Eritrean border with their weapons intact.
This heinous crime against the ultimate defenders of the constitution provoked Ethiopians to stand behind their defence forces and the decision of the Federal government to move swiftly to enforce law and order in the region. When the law enforcement operation of the Federal Government of Ethiopia started to bear fruit, the TPLF started to lose ground and began committing again serious and horrific crime against humanity.
On 24th November 2020, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission reported that TPLF youth group called Samri, with the help of the local police and militia, moving from house to house and from street to street, began a cruel and atrocious rampage on people they pre-identified/profiled as Amharas and Wolkaits. The Ethiopian government investigators have also reported that they have captured the criminals but informed the public that there are large numbers of those who committed the crime have fled to the refugee camps in Sudan.
The TPLF at the height of their aggression threatened that they are capable of destroying all major Eritrean and Ethiopian cities and started launching rocket attack on Eritrean cities and two Ethiopian cities. The Ethio-Eritrea Peace alliance and law enforcement operation of the Ethiopian Government in Tigray region has averted a massive humanitarian and security crisis which could have engulfed the whole of the Horn of Africa and likely spilled over to the shores of Europe.
Noting that, the humanitarian crises that have been engineered and exasperated by belligerent TPLF leaders in Ethiopia in general and Tigray region in particular require the attention of all humankind. TPLF’s traitorous attack on those who were defending the Ethiopian borders and helping the Tigrayian people during the COVID-19 and locust swarm had resulted in their complete isolation and condemnation from all Ethiopian. Tigray region is open for humanitarian assistance and investigation of human rights violation by all parties involved in this conflict. The UN Human Rights Council is to launch a joint investigation with the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission.
Political pressure on the two countries and the politics of demonizing nation’s states can only exasperate the humanitarian crisis and destabilize the already fragile situation of the Horn of Africa. The international community must recognise sovereignty of nations in the region and refrain from taking sides in these conflict and support regional and local initiatives to bring peace and reconciliation among the people of the horn.
In view of all these facts, members of British Ethiopian and Eritrean Communities in the United Kingdom through their undersigned representatives strongly call the British government to:
1. support the Ethiopian government in its law enforcement effort and bring to justice all perpetuators who committed crime against Northern Command, involved in criminal activities and launched indiscriminate BM-30 rockets attacks at densely populated areas in Gonder, Bahir Dar of Ethiopia and Asmara, Eritrea,
2. support the Ethiopian government effort to rehabilitate Tigray and investigate and bring to justice all perpetuators of crimes against humanity during Tigray conflict including those accused of massacring innocent people of Mia-Kadra,
3. recognise the historical and current commitments of Ethiopia for peace keeping in the region and work with the Government of Ethiopia to rebuild Tigray and support peaceful democratic transition which will help bed in peace and stability in a volatile region,
4. provide a tangible support for the Asmara peace agreement between Eritrea and Ethiopia, and meaningful partnership with all countries in the horn of Africa, and
5. raise concern with conflict entrepreneurs and media outlets engaged in dissemination of false information which endangers relationships with friendly nations and propagation of unsubstantiated allegations which further endanger and polarize ethnic tensions.
Ethiopian Communities in UK British Eritrean Communities and Organisations Networks
Yours sincerely,
Signatories
1. Mr Zelealem Tessema, Co-chair – Ethiopian Association UK: Ethiopianassociationuk@gmail.com
2. Mr Ahmed Mahmoud, Co-chair of Eritrean Communities in the United Kingdom.
CC: Rt Hon. Dominic Raab, MP, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Offic
