Politics
The Case of Restoring Law and Order in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia The Government of Ethiopia has geared its focus on rebuilding of what had been destroyed during the conflict, reinstituting the regional government structure at all levels to provide the necessary public services, providing humanitarian assistance to the needy, rehabilitating the displaced, bringing the perpetrators to justice, and undertaking peace building activities in the region.
Photo credit: eeas.europa.eu H.E. Demeke Mekonnen, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia visited Brussels form 24-25 November 2020, as part of his tour to various European Capitals. During his visit to Brussels, H.E. Mr. Demeke met with H. E. Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the European Commission (HR/VP), Her Excellency Sophie Wilmes, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Belgium, and H.E. Mr. Janez Lerancic, Commissioner for Crisis Management of the European Union, and exchanged views regarding the latest developments in Ethiopia, during which he explained about the law enforcement operation under taken by the Government of Ethiopia in Tigray region to restore order and stability.
Underlining the primary responsibility of the Federal Government to maintain the rule of law, ensure peace and security of the people of Ethiopia, and protect and defend the constitution of the land, H.E. Mr. Demeke further explained that the government’s law enforcement operation was targeted only on the perpetrators of the conflict; and the operation was carried out giving maximum care to avoid civilian casualties.
He briefed the officials about the efforts made prior to the operation by the Government of Ethiopia to encourage the TPLF leadership to be part and parcel of the popular democratization process, and the intransigence of the latter to engage in the peaceful political undertakings.
On the onset of the law-and-order operation, there were speculations by some parts of the international community that the conflict would degenerate into a civil war and would have serious impact on the stability of the Horn of Africa. The government of Ethiopia from the beginning
4
The Ethiopian Messenger
On the occasion, H.E. Demeke also explained at length about the atrocities committed by the TPLF leadership at Mai Kadra, a small town in western Tigray, the destruction caused by the group on major infrastructures, such as bridges, roads and the Axum airport as well as the targeted propaganda that led to the fleeing of innocent civilians to the Sudan.