TPLF and Amnesty fake news about the conflct in Tigray Frans De Maegd, March 2021

1. Propaganda on Massacres in Ethiopia may Raise Fears of Intervention in Horn
of Africa
18 Mar 2021, Investig'Action, Frans De Maegd
In Ethiopia, the TPLF imposed an apartheid regime for nearly 30 years with Western
support. But tensions between the different communities led to the overthrow of the
corrupt regime which had then entrenched itself in its region of origin, Tigray.
The TPLF attempted to regain power, but was quickly defeated by the central army.
Now, from abroad, it is posing as a victim and organizing a propaganda campaign to
try to force an international intervention that could have serious repercussions
throughout the Horn of Africa. Decryption.
Amnesty International's report on the Axum massacre, a recycled story
At the end of February, Amnesty International [i] published a worldwide report [ii] on
“(…) hundreds of unarmed civilians executed during the war in the Tigray region of
Ethiopia”.
Since the violent conflict between the TPLF [iii] separatists and the central
government broke out on November 4, 2020 and after the defeat of the TPLF after
four weeks, its members abroad have not ceased to warn the international
community of the massacres by the Ethiopian army and the Eritrean army in Tigray ”.
Some even spoke of a “real genocide”. The first “report” on the latest “massacre”
reported by Amnesty was produced by Tigray Media House [iv] (TMH). This media is
directed by Alula Solomon [v] , spokesperson for the TPLF abroad. The lies spread
by TMH have now reached a grim climax. Their “information” [vi] has been widely
reproduced by the Associated Press office in Nairobi, in an article by Cara Anna [vii]
(02/18). It was then repeated in the Amnesty International report of February 26 on
“the terrible massacre of Axum [viii] near the church of Sainte-Marie de Sion on
November 28 and 29, 2020”.
Information on Axum's “massacre” was then recycled in a Guardian report dated
February 26, 2021. Hundreds of believers were allegedly murdered in St. Mary's
Church and the murderers attempted to rob the shrine of Noah's Ark [ix] while
causing serious damage. In all these stories, “the Eritrean soldiers are singled out”.
But let's get back to the Amnesty International (AI) report that was made public. It is
totally implausible. First of all, there are the 41 witnesses. 31 of them were testifying

2. from refugee camps in Sudan. It is a well-known gathering place for former TPLF
combatants. The other witnesses were contacted by telephone in Axum. AI did not
bother to ask the Ethiopian and Eritrean authorities for their reaction. AI therefore
assumes a priori that the TPLF version of “Axum events” is correct. Yet the Ethiopian
government has always been willing to provide information on developments in the
region.
The story is also cracking on all sides for other reasons, including the presence and
crimes of the Eritrean soldiers.
An old Google Map photo would show where the destruction was done. But the
photo itself doesn't prove anything. The reader thinks he sees something that is not
to be seen….
Among other things, a witness claims to have seen a red truck with an Eritrean
license plate and an inscription “Eritrea” on the vehicle. But these red trucks and
license plates are completely unknown in Eritrea. It is also particularly incredible that
a soldier told a woman who escaped the massacre that he was “an Eritrean”.
Then there is the fact that a number of the killers wore the recognizable uniform of
the Eritrean army. According to serious reports and communications from the
Ethiopian government, the TPLF had been producing Eritrean uniforms in its Almeda
Cherqacherq's textile company since the very beginning of the conflict - before it was
destroyed by the TPLF [x] - in order to prove the presence and complicity of Eritrea in
the conflict. Absurd, because Eritrea did everything in its power not to get involved in
this conflict and did not follow up on the various provocations of the TPLF.
To make the story even more “credible”, the TMH called on an “Orthodox priest”,
Michael Berhe, who testified about all the atrocities committed in Axum. The
problem is that this man is not a priest at all, but a translator based in Boston [xi] .

3. This story aroused the ire of the Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in New
York [xii]
"Fake News"
The whole story of the “Axum massacre” is a lie from A to Z. A team from the
Ethiopian News Service was present on site from November 28 — “the massacre”
would have taken place on November 28 and 29 — to report on the important annual
feast of Saint Mary in Axum. The feast was prepared throughout the city. The
reporters spoke during those days with priests from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
They said fighting had taken place on the outskirts of the city, especially on the
airport side, a few weeks earlier, but that things calmed down by the end of
November. On November 30, the team made a short report on the religious holiday.
The report was broadcast on Ethiopian national television.
Can we imagine that thousands of people celebrate a party around the church after a
massacre and near the mass graves of their loved ones? Can we imagine that the
ecclesiastical authority would not have protested if on November 28 and 29 their
sanctuary had been attacked?
Amnesty International could have perfectly known what really happened in Axum at
the end of November just by watching the Ethiopian news and interviewing the right
people.
A campaign against the Ethiopian government
Since the start of the conflict, the Ethiopian government has faced Western demands
to grant the media free access to the region and the conflict zone.
But first of all, there is a justified distrust and vigilance towards the Western media,
which the TPLF has been drinking with for nearly thirty years. The media of the
Western powers, as well as many aid agencies and NGOs, have been at the forefront
of armed interventions in almost all conflicts for years. Since World War II virtually all
conflicts have been based on fake news and revelations first broadcast by “our
media” (as on the eve of the war against Libya and Syria, not to mention the two wars
against Iraq).
In the program Terzake of the VRT [xiii] of December 21 — this report was partially
taken up by the RTBF the following day — the reporter Stijn Vercruysse speaks
about all the misery caused by the bloody conflict without naming any culprit, except
the Eritrea: “We were able to establish that everything indicates that Eritrean soldiers
crossed the border wearing Ethiopian uniforms,” says Vercruysse. “It seems they
were part of the fighting and at least helping to secure the area. But instead of

4. securing, they would loot Tigrayan homes”. The VRT did not have to wait for
Amnesty International's February report.
Continue to blame Eritrea. Why?
Why does the TPLF keep spreading such cruel stories and more? Why does Eritrea,
which is doing everything possible to stay out of this conflict, continue to be singled
out as one of the main culprits of the crimes?
There are mainly two reasons for this:
In this conflict, the responsibility for all this real misery (the destruction, the
refugees…) lies with the TPLF separatists who attacked an Ethiopian army base on
November 4th, 2020. During this attack, dozens of people were killed. When the
central government wanted to restore order, a young TPLF militia group called
“Samri” murdered some 400 Amharic residents in Mai-Kadra on November 9 last
year.
AI drew up a correct report on this incident. But the Western media swept this report
under the carpet and confused who is really responsible for the massacre.
Worse, in their desperate attempt to keep control of the towns of Tigray, the TPLF
bandits destroyed numerous infrastructures (power stations, businesses — including
the pharmaceutical company of Adigrat — roads and bridges, university buildings,
means of communication ... ) to then put all blamr this destruction on the Ethiopian
army, which one can logically wonder what would have been the interest.
From abroad, and in particular the refugee camps in Sudan, the TPLF survivors want
to cover up their crimes by offering the Western media a wide range of Ethiopian and
Eritrean crimes.
Of course, the recapture of Tigray caused a lot of suffering. The clashes between the
poorly armed militias and the Ethiopian army were very serious at first. Tens of
thousands of Tigrayans fled violence and food shortages as fields where the harvest
was ripe had to be abandoned. What is most terrible is that the TPLF regime
released 13,000 common criminals to wreak havoc. Looting and rape can most likely
be attributed to these criminals, but one cannot rule out excesses on the part of the
Ethiopian military. Moreover, since the end of last November, the Ethiopian
government has been carrying out a systematic investigation into all the crimes
committed in Tigray. But AI is obviously not taking this investigation seriously.
The Ethiopian government has a vested interest in ensuring that all criminals are
tracked down and brought to justice, regardless of their side. This is a prerequisite in
order to restore confidence in the central government in Tigray after so many hate

5. campaigns carried out by the TLF since the summer of 2018 and the enormous
chaos that reigned during the conflict.
International intervention
The TPLF has spread its stories of “crimes against humanity in Tigray” to force an
international intervention. Its members thus systematically implicate Eritrea in the
conflict to give “the war in Tigray an international character” which would require
“international intervention”. We know history.
To date, all of these attempts have failed.
As early as late last year, UN Secretary-General Guterres said that despite
provocations from the TPLF (such as the bombing of air bases in Asmara, the capital
of Eritrea), Eritrea has nothing to do with the internal conflict in Ethiopia and Tigray.
The European Union, a partner of the new Biden administration in the United States,
tried to convict Eritrea of “crimes against humanity” during the 46th session of the
Commission on Human Rights in Geneva at the end of February this year. But the
real international community, which is not limited to the West, has rejected these
accusations. China, Russia, Cuba, Venezuela, Belarus, DPRK (North Korea),
Ethiopia, South Sudan, Philippines, Skri Lanka and others voted against such
accusation. China and Russia have also stressed in their response that the use of
"human rights" by Western powers to try to intervene in the internal affairs of other
countries must stop.
Why does the West continue to support the defeated TPLF?
Why is the United States and its crippled ally the EU so fanatic about defending the
defeated TPLF in a sparsely populated and uninteresting region of northern Ethiopia?
Because the TPLF of Tigray (a region which has no more than 5% of the current
Ethiopian population) has kept Ethiopia under its control for almost 30 years, which
occupies a geostrategic position in the Horn of Africa and which was supported by
the West. At its instigation, Ethiopia waged a war against Somalia (2006-2007) and
against Eritrea (1998-2000-2018), ignoring the Algiers peace agreement of 2000 with
impunity.
In matters of domestic policy, the TPLF regime has not sought to resolve the major
regional contradictions which are the cause of recurring problems abroad. On the
contrary. These have been pushed to the maximum despite appearances. The US
and the EU turned a blind eye to all persecution and crimes because the TPLF
regime offered great economic benefits and seemed able to continue playing the
policeman of the region.
But from 2016-2017, the situation in Ethiopia turned desperate. It all started in the
Oromo region where a protest left 75 people dead in December 2015. Tension
peaked in August 2016 when the ongoing unrest saw dozens of residents of Addis
and surrounding areas shot dead. The TPLF government declared a state of
emergency in October 2016. But protests had also increased in other regions. An
interminable civil war then threatened Ethiopia and other countries in the Horn of
Africa.
Most of the main regions came out in force. The TPLF government in Addis was in
dire straits.

6. The Trump administration understood this and did not want to embark on another
endless and hopeless conflict (as in Afghanistan, Syria…). The United States
therefore dropped the TPLF like a brick and allowed a “soft coup” that brought current
Prime Minister Abiy to power. The latter signed peace with Eritrea from the summer
of 2018, sought to ensure the unity and cooperation of the countries of the Horn and
made painstaking attempts [xiv] to reconcile the torn peoples of Ethiopia. This
cooperation was rejected by the TPLF, which had entrenched itself in the north, in its
region of origin, Tigray. The TPLF then worked on two scenarios: regaining power in
Addis (which proved impossible) or wresting Tigray from Ethiopia by creating conflict
in this region. Their new dream was to create a Great Tigray while forcing strategic
access to the Red Sea.
The reaction of the Ethiopian central government after the TPLF attack on Ethiopian
army units has been justified. The Ethiopian army invaded Tigray to restore order.
The recapture of the region was completed in about three weeks, but it of course
caused a lot of chaos and misery.
Had the government allowed the violent secession of Tigray, the gates of hell would
have been opened not only in Ethiopia, but also throughout the Horn of Africa. All
ultranationalists among all peoples who have been oppressed from time immemorial
would have seen this as a strong signal. And that could have resulted in endless civil
wars.
The inhabitants of Tigray have undoubtedly escaped the worst as the Ethiopian army
came to bring order to the region. Conflicts between militias were about to erupt,
which would have caused bloodshed. The rapid defeat of the TPLF in Tigray shows
that the “game is over” and Ethiopians who have known its dictatorial regime for
nearly thirty years are rejoicing.
However, during these almost thirty years of domination, the TPLF has woven an
international web with which it now leads a rearguard action. It is thus supported
“unexpectedly” by Biden's new administration “America is back” [xv] as well as by the
EU, which is very happy to be able to return under the wing of the United States to
serve them.
Today, the efforts of the TPLF and the West are creating a lot of confusion and
anxiety. These attempts prevent the restoration of peace, order, the return of
refugees and the return to normal life in a tormented region of Tigray. Attempts by the
remnants of the TPLF to return to power and those by imperialism to redefine its will
in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa are unlikely to succeed. Peoples and nations fully
understand the West's sinister game in the region and will not give it any leeway.
A second question can be asked: Why do so many progressive and left-wing
organizations join the TPLF discourse against the central government of Ethiopia and
especially against Eritrea?
First, in 2018, the two countries signed a peace agreement that won Ethiopian Prime
Minister Abiy the Nobel Peace Prize. But the President of Eritrea, Isaias Afwerki,
received nothing as is the custom when two countries bury the hatchet. All the
sanctions against Eritrea were still lifted. But this country is still described by Western
media as “Africa's North Korea”. This etiquette deters almost everyone (including on
the left) from knowing Eritrea a little better and discovering the overwhelmingly
positive role it plays in the region.

7. Second, the TPLF presents itself as the representative of an “oppressed nationality
and victim of the central government which oppresses all the peoples of Ethiopia”.
The sympathy of most progressives and leftists in the West has traditionally gone to
“oppressed peoples and nations”. So without much thought, sympathy now goes to
Tigray and TPLF. But as is often the case, no concrete analysis is made of a
concrete situation and the latest developments are not considered in light of
Ethiopia's recent history. If you examine this history more closely, you quickly realize
that it was precisely the TPLF that oppressed the people and played to pit regions
against each other for 30 years when it held power in Addis. Ababa.
We therefore invite everyone to reflect on this story by reading the interview with
Professor Mohamed Hassan [xvi] in Investig'Action and the article by Ethiopian
Professor Girma Berhanu, who works in Stockholm [xvii] .
Both strongly denounce the ethnic divisions and apartheid of the former TPLF
regime. The start of his reign seemed promising, however. The TPLF had broken
with the so-called “Jacobin centralism” of the DERG and Mengistu periods (1974-
1991). Ethiopia then became a federal state with 9 regions cut out on an ethnic basis
(!) and enjoying relative autonomy.
When defining the boundaries of the regions, the TPLF enlarged Tigray by more than
a third, notably removing territory from the Amhara region.
We know (certainly in Belgium) that the autonomy of a region is only as big as its
budget. Thus, only 13% of the state budget has been transferred to the regions.
Regional leaders, mostly corrupt, constantly had to beg for money from the Addis
Ababa government.
The Constitution stipulated that if a majority of the delegates of a region wanted to
gain its independence, it was the right of each region. But when the Somali region
wanted to hold an independence referendum in the early 1990s, it was brutally
prevented from doing so. In particular, a TPLF commando killed the then president of
the Somalia region, Muhumed Qani, in the town of Gode.
From 1995, every Ethiopian had to choose “a nationality”, even if he felt above all an
Ethiopian. This shattered Ethiopian national sentiment and fostered narrow-minded
regionalism. In the late 1990s, the Ethiopian government sold fertile land to foreign
agro-industries, causing the mass eviction of farmers from their land and even the
“relocation” of national minorities in miserable conditions, such as the Anuaks [ xviii].
Between December 13 and 16, 2004, 424 Anuaks were killed by the TPLF army in
the Gambella region (northeast of Oromo region). Thousands of people had fled
(including to Kenya). The brutality of this situation has been denounced by Human
Right Watch.

8. But the Oromo population of this region was not spared either: they lost a lot of land,
part of which was transferred to an Indian agro-industrialist who tried to produce rice,
but failed.
The Afar and Amhara peoples have also suffered greatly from the repression. But it is
the Somali region that has paid the heaviest price. In 2007 and 2012, the TPLF army
organized massacres in Fik, Dhagaxmadow, Mooyaha, Qorille and Gunagado [xix] .
So much so that when TPLF supporters loudly denounce the loss of “Tigray's
regional autonomy”, it arouses the hatred and contempt of all the peoples of Ethiopia.
It should also be noted that the Ethiopian government has set up a new regional
government. New elections must be organized in the near future, when peace has
fully returned.
Famine and international humanitarian aid
Finally, a small remark on “the threat of famine” in Tigray after the fall of the TPLF.
The needs were great, because the supply of the towns had been interrupted, the
reserves looted, the crops left in the fields. For the West and many of its “human
rights” defenders, as well as for NGOs, this is an excellent opportunity to organize a
massive international humanitarian aid effort independent of the Ethiopian
government which has been held to be responsible for all the misery. The Ethiopian
government has said it is doing everything possible, as the situation permits, to help
the suffering population and to give the many refugees the opportunity to return to
their homes. Only these measures will restore normal life in the region. This has
always been the main objective of the government. The Ethiopian Red Cross (which
is of course linked to the International Red Cross) provided first aid. The government
says any foreign aid is welcome, as well as aid workers, if aid goes through the
Ethiopian state. On the other hand, the government recently successfully organized a
large-scale census of the entire Ethiopian population. It is important that the entire
population learns to distinguish between the TPLF separatists and the inhabitants of
Tigray so that the damaged solidarity with this region can be restored. as well as aid
workers, if aid goes through the Ethiopian state. On the other hand, the government
recently successfully organized a large-scale census of the entire Ethiopian
population. It is important that the entire population learns to distinguish between the
TPLF separatists and the inhabitants of Tigray so that the damaged solidarity with
this region can be restored.
It should also be noted that the needs of the people of Tigray have never been the
concern of the TPLF parasites when they were in Addis Ababa. Access to water, in
particular drinking water, remains extremely problematic in rural areas [xx] . The
upstarts of the TPLF also showed no respect for the auxiliary equipment of hospitals.
As they fled to the mountains after the fall of the capital Mekelle, the TPLF refugees
left ambulances they had used for their escape behind them. A Japanese aid
organization, which had donated ambulances, was very angry about this.
The game is over for the TPLF and the false information its members spread abroad
resonates like swan song.
Notes:
[i] “Amnesty International: Hundreds of unarmed civilians executed during war in
Ethiopia's Tigray region”

9. https://www.vrt.be/.../rapport-amnesty-international.../
[ii] Here is the AI report: https://www.amnesty.org/fr/documents/afr25/3730/2021/fr/
Western media, such as the Belgian VRT, immediately broadcast a high-profile prime
time report.
[iii] https://fr.wikipedia.org/.../Front_de_lib%C3%A9ration_du...
[iv] https://video.search.yahoo.com/.../video;_ylt...
[v] https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images.... ytimg.com% 2Fvi%
2FyLw0GA3p-r4% 2Fmaxresdefault.jpg # id = 0 & iurl = https% 3A% 2F%
2Fi.ytimg.com% 2Fvi% 2FyLw0GA3p-r4% 2Fmaxresdefault.jpg & action = click
[vi] The TPLF then took part of the national treasure and military equipment.
[vii] https://apnews.com/.../witnesses-recall-massacre-axum...
[viii] https://www.amnesty.org/.../ethiopia-eritrean-troops... -humanity /
[ix] https://www.theguardian.com/.../fabled-ark-could-be-among...
[x] https://eritreahub.org/tigray-the-looting-of-the-almeda...
[xi] https://www.facebook.com/.../pcb.../10224812435396455
[xii] https://www.ena.et/en/?p=22059...
[xiii] . https://www.vrt.be/.../vrtnws-als-eerste-in-oosten-van.../
[xiv] Government in which Abiy began to make mistakes in front of the Oromo and
Somalis, among others. Several people were very impatient and wanted the old
problems to magically disappear. There was a call in different regions. Appeal which
was canceled by the Abiy government.
[xv] The Biden administration wants to return to the offensive in the Horn of Africa as
it did recently in the Middle East (the bombing in Syria). This can be done (they think)
through TPLF survivors, but also by using the tensions between Egypt and Sudan
with Ethiopia over Ethiopia's new Nile dam and the supply of Nile water in Sudan and
Egypt.
[xvi] The Recent History of Ethiopia, Part 3: The TPLF and Zenawi Period
https://www.investigaction.net/.../lethiopie-a-la.../
Mohamed Hassan is a former Ethiopian diplomat and specialist in the Arab world and
the Horn of Africa. Today, he is an advisor to the president of the Somalia region in
Ethiopia.
[xvii] https://borkena.com/2018/01/09/ethnic-apartheid-ethiopia/
[xviii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anuak_people
[xix] The current president of the Somalia region in Ethiopia, on his facebook page
(March 1, 2021), evokes these real massacres (which have barely been talked about
in the international media ...) in response to the screams of the survivors of the TPLF
on “the current massacres in Tigray”.
[xx] https://tesfanews.net/does-the-people-of-tigray.../