The Ethiopian Air Force has shot down an airplane encroaching airspace of the country via Sudan loaded with arms for terrorist designated group, TPLF.
The airplane is believed to be a property of historical enemies of Ethiopia attempting to exploit the current situation in the country.
The Air Force is at full preparedness more than ever before to safeguard sovereignty of the nation, according to Deployment Department Head of the National Defence Forces Maj.Gen Tesfaye Ayalew.
According to Maj. Gen Tesfaye Ayalew, the airplane was heading to Tigray carrying arms intended to terrorist TPLF in the sky over North of Humera at last night at 10:00 PM while shot down by the Air Froce.
TPLF, a terrorist designated group has on Wednesday resumed fighting in the Northern part of Ethiopia, outrightly undermining calls and efforts aimed at peaceful resolution of the conflict in Tigray.
The group at around 5am made an attack on the Eastern Front in Bisober, Zobel, and Tekulesh directions.
By carrying out these attacks, TPLF have officially violated the Ceasefire, according to the country’s Communication Service.
TPLF had recently intensified threats to go back to war if they ‘unrealistic’ demands are not met.
Who are the TPLF Terrorists?
TPLF was among the many armed groups that fought the Federal Military Rule in the 1970s and 1980s, communist in ideology and establishing an Independent Tigray was its ultimate goal.
Later in the downfall of the Military regime, TPLF in coalition with other Ethnic based parties formed EPRDF and ruled the country for 27 years, a period in which millions of Ethiopians suffered widespread political repressions, economic as well as social marginalization.
After waves of popular protests that swept across the country and internal struggles within the ruling party for almost two years, Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed came to power in April 2018 through elections.
Soon after Abiy took office, deep political and economic reforms were implemented in Ethiopia in order to overcome the multi-faceted and complex socio-political and economic problems of the country.
Among the others, the Government of Ethiopia released political prisoners and journalists and invited exiled political parties and armed groups to take part in peaceful political contestations.
The new leadership did not take any retributive measures against TPLF as a vengeful punishment as some people continue to wrongly claim.
However, angered by the unexpected loss of the disproportionate influence and undue privilege they enjoyed, powerful figures within the TPLF led the clique into self-isolation and a senseless blame game.
They heavily involved in planning and implementing violence and conflict currently seen in the country.
TPLF has shown the world that if it does not maintain its grip on power entirely, it is ready to disturb the country at the cost of millions of lives of Ethiopians. Their leadership started by saying that they would go for a war if a blockage is placed on their way to maintaining hegemony, something they have since effected.
The Prime Minister is on record for having severally expressed his deepest desire that the government did not want to hear a single gun-shot in Tigray, and indeed this desire had captured the whole conviction of the Ethiopian government until everything had to change on November 4, 2020 when the group attacked military facilities.
TPLF’s intention was to break the chain of command of the Defense force and acquire over 80% of the National Army’s possession, which was in the region, and change the leadership of the country forcefully, leading to several months of fighting.
The government of Ethiopia, acting on the understanding that TPLF worked to keep the pains of people in the region for its survival purpose, declared a Unilateral Ceasefire which was not respected by the rebels but instead amplified the war by invading neighbouring regions of Afar and Amhara where they as well committed several atrocities on the people including rape, murder, displacement and using children as soldiers.
TPLF was declared a terrorist organisation by the country’s Parliament.
The group in collaboration with international media and and its western sympathisers invested in trading false propaganda about the war. At some point, multinational news-based pay television channel CNN told lies to the world that the terforists had seized the Capital Addis Ababa.
The Ethiopian people both in the country and those abroad openly through demonstrations expressed disapproval of the intervention West in the internal issues of Ethiopia. They categorically vowed to support the legitimate government against any form of aggression.
Additional reporting by FANA