ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopians must be courageous and face their enemies without fear, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said, noting that the country would leave no room for traitors who are determined to thwart efforts to restore order and unity in the country. nation of the Horn of Africa.
According to the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, the country faces challenges from “traitors from within and without,” but he has not disclosed an identity. This is the first time that Abiy Ahmed has apparently blamed strangers for the country’s challenges.
At an inauguration ceremony for the Tana Beles sugar factory on Sunday, the prime minister said “two enemies of the country’s prosperity” had been identified. His statement comes amid ethnic cleansing in the country as well as the Tigray War which has drawn negative reactions from international actors.
At present, Abiy’s government is under pressure to withdraw its troops from the Tigray region where they are accused of organizing the genocide. The two Ethiopian National Defense Forces [ENDF], the Eritrean troops and those of the Amhara regional forces were in Tigray under the pretext of continuing the Popular Front for the Liberation of Tigray [TPLF] fighters.
To date, various correspondence indicates that thousands of people have been raped, tortured or killed by the military in the separatist state. The United States and the United Kingdom are among the key partners who have demanded the withdrawal of troops from the region.
But Abiy’s declaration of “traitor” was made in reference to the battle against the Italians in the 1930s which saw a number of people betray the country. He also spoke about foreigners who are working to prevent Ethiopia from standing up.
Perhaps in reference to pressure from Egypt and Sudan to complete the Grand Renaissance Dam [GERD], the prime minister insisted that the megaproject is important to the country due to the fact that it will help run several industries.
“The construction of GERD plays an invaluable role for both Egypt and Sudan. He said, adding “They too will benefit when we finish it.” The PM mentioned a 10-year development plan. “We have started a 10 year long journey of prosperity, planning to finish what we started and start what we haven’t started,” he said.
The prime minister’s remarks came two weeks after the United States announced visa restrictions on Ethiopian and Eritrean officials responsible or accomplices, compromising the resolution of the crisis in the Tigray region. It will be recalled that the EU canceled the deployment of its planned election observation mission in Ethiopia in early May.
There have also been ethnic clashes in Ethiopia since taking over with its severely affected Oromo backyard as well as the Amhara region. Many experts blamed the clashes on sweeping democratic reforms that now allow people to express themselves freely in the country.
But it is the Tigray crisis that threatens to erode his earnings over the past two years given international pressure that has continued to mount for overtime. Abiy Ahmed has in some quarters described him as a “dictator in the making” in the Horn of Africa.
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