Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed campaigns in UN vehicle amid suspected genocide in Tigray
ADDIS ABABA – In one of the most unprecedented gestures, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was photographed in a United Nations-owned vehicle while campaigning, ahead of the general election on June 21, which could spark a debate on the UN’s commitment to end the war against the Tigrayans.
Over the past eight months, the Ethiopian National Defense Forces [ENDF], Eritrean troops, Amhara regional forces and some Somali soldiers carried out an operation in the Tigray region, killing thousands of civilians according to multiple investigations.
The troops pursued the Popular Front for the Liberation of Tigray [TPLF] fighters, who are accused of attacking the Northern Command. But instead, civilians were subjected to torture, rape and death under unclear circumstances, while others were left to starve.
Photos taken during Abiy Ahmed’s campaign trip to his Oromia backyard showed the prime minister driving the United Nations vehicle with a number of security forces surrounding him. He saw the crowd waving in the town of Jimma in Oromia.
Driving in UN vehicles violates the internal policies of the world organization on the basis of administrative instructions which state that: “The use of the assigned vehicle should be reserved for official business and transport to and from work.” .
“Our unity is our beauty. It is our strength,” he said during an election campaign in his garden in Oromia. He added, “The peace and resilience seen today from Jimma, Agaro to Shasha inspires us to better serve our people.”
“I prefer to leave my marks. Our unity does not destroy our diversity. Our diversity does not disperse our unity,” added the ailing prime minister, whose coming to power in 2018 has given hope to millions of Ethiopians who had fought against authoritarianism.
But despite the introduction of sweeping reforms linked to the rise of ethnic cleansing, Ahmed won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019. However, the victory has been questioned given the deaths due to tribal animosity and Tigray War.
It was the Tigray genocide that gravely tainted its administration, leading to reprisals from the international community and even the imposition of sanctions against certain senior leaders in Ethiopia and Eritrea by the United States. Eritrean troops are particularly accused of overseeing mass killings in Tigray.
Yet the United Nations Security Council has yet to convene an official meeting on the Tigray War, hence the questions about Ahmed’s decision to use the UN vehicle in his personal campaigns. The UN is under pressure to declare war on Tigray; genocide, but such a proclamation has not yet been made.
Already, the African Union has called for an immediate investigation into the Tigray War, which was ordered earlier this week. The continental body is one of the institutions accused of “betraying” the Tigrayans being exterminated by the regime of Abiy Ahmed.
“The mandate of the commission of inquiry is, among other things, to investigate allegations of violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, and to gather all relevant information in order to determine whether the allegations constitute serious and massive human rights violations, ”says AU.
Ethiopian National Defense Force Tuesday [ENDF] Chief of Staff Gen. Birhanu Jula spoke today with the World Food Program [WFP] Country Director Steven Were Omamo and other officials of the organization on ways to improve ongoing humanitarian activities in the Tigray region.
During the discussion held in Addis Ababa, General Birhanu informed PAM officials that after the attack on the Northern Command by the TPLF group, the objective of the National Defense Force was to preserve the sovereignty of the nation.
Ahead of Ethiopia’s election, Facebook said it deleted 65 Facebook accounts, 52 pages, 27 groups and 32 Instagram accounts for breaking its rules to mislead others about their purpose and identity.
“In view of the upcoming elections and the continuing tensions in Ethiopia, our teams intervened as quickly as possible to complete the investigation and disrupt this operation,” Nathaniel Gleicher, head of Facebook’s security policy, told a conference. Press.
Political analyst Rashid Abdi calls Abiy Ahmed a “transactional” leader and not a “thinker or strategic leader”. “He will abandon Amhara and get rid of Eritrea once he is able to create a new alliance,” he notes.
Next week’s polls will determine Abiy Ahmed’s grip on power given his decision to form the Prosperity Party [PP], a relatively new team struggling to impose their authority across the country. The prime minister is also accused of detaining his detractors, including media mogul Jawar Mohammed.
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