Anyone who comes across this revelation might think it is taken out of the movies. Surprisingly this is a true story that happened in Ethiopia’s Northern region called Tigray. To have a full genesis of the story the writer will try to present it in chronological order.
Before the Start of War.
During the year 2018, the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) that governed Ethiopia for twenty-seven years was pushed out of power and fled to the Northern Region of Ethiopia, Tigray. Soon after, tension between TPLF and the new Ethiopian federal government led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was rising fast, and war was imminent. It was during this time that news started trickling from the Tigray region that TPLF was producing Eritrean Army Uniforms in its Textile factory in Adwa. The news was intriguing, to say the least. Many analysts suggested that TPLF may had a plan to infiltrate the Eritrean Army. Others contemplated that the TPLF might planned a terrorist activity that would implicate the Eritrean Army. However, the news took its course and slowly died down.
During the War.
On November 4th, 2020, the TPLF militia attacked a well-equipped federal army called the Northern Command stationed in Tigray and a war between the federal government and the TPLF started. At the same time using the long-range missiles it captured from the Northern Command, the TPLF started hurling more than a dozen missiles at the world heritage site capital city of Eritrea, Asmara. To neutralize the missiles the Eritrean Army joined the war in support of the Ethiopian Federal government. At the height of the war again news about soldiers in Eritrean Military uniforms killing people and raping women in Tigray started to dominate the media. It was clear that the news was planned and well-coordinated with big news outlets like Al Jazeera, CNN, and others. Again, those who knew the Eritrean Army rejected the news out rightly. They argued that the Eritrean Army was very disciplined and highly controlled, and it was near impossible for its members to commit rape and kill innocents. However, one event that happened in Tambien which is sixty-three miles away from the capital city of Tigray, Mekelle, exposed the narrative that the Eritrean Army was engaged in the rape and killing of Civilians. A young girl named Monalisa Abraha was hit by a bullet and brought to a hospital in the capital city of Tigray, Mekelle, for treatment. Aljazeera correspondent in Mekelle disseminated a piece of false news that Monalisa was hit by a bullet during a struggle with an Eritrean soldier who was trying to rape her. It did not take long for such news to become a staple in the Western media. Surprisingly when Monalisa was interviewed in person she explained that she was saved from death by Eritrean soldiers because they arranged transportation for her to be taken for treatment to Mekelle. She became a firsthand witness that she was not wounded by the Eritreans. Also, older Tigrayan gentlemen witnessed that he was beaten and thrown on a road connecting Shire and Maitsebri and Eritrean soldiers picked, fed, and transported him to a hospital in Shire. Many other Tigrayans expressed thanks to the Eritrean army for its discipline and care for civilians. Accordingly, many people suspected an organized blackmailing campaign against the Eritrean army was going on.
After the War.
After sustaining a crushing defeat, the TPLF was forced to sign a surrender agreement with the Ethiopian government on November 3rd, 2022. Now the Mystery of TPLF’s Production of Eritrean Military Uniforms is out in the open. Many Tigrayan Media Personalities are reporting that TPLF’s Special Force in Eritrean Army Uniforms killed significant number of Tigrayan youth in different parts of Tigray. The story goes like this. The TPLF asked the youth to conscript to the TPLF army which was fighting the Ethiopian Federal Army and its allies. Then the TPLF keeps a record of the youth who refused to do so. At night it sends a killing squad in Eritrean Army uniform to eliminate those who refused to conscript. After the killed youth’s well attended burial ceremony was completed, the TPLF called a meeting and told the youth that had their colleagues conscripted they would have not been killed by the Eritrean Army. So, to be safe everyone needed to be conscripted. By committing such a heinous crime against its people, the TPLF achieved two objectives. First, it implicated the Eritrean Army in killing Tigrayan youth, and second it was able to get human power to feed its war machine.
Conclusion
The story of the TPLF Special force in Eritrean Army Uniform killing Tigrayan youth for Military and propaganda benefits is clear evidence of how nasty war and politics could be in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. The TPLF governed Ethiopia for twenty-seven years and had ample exposure to techniques of media manipulation and falsely implicating others. For example, in 2006 WikiLeaks exposed that the TPLF planted a bomb in a minibus in Addis Ababa, close to the African Union headquarters, and implicated the Oromo Liberation Front and neighboring Eritrea in attempting to blow the African leaders who were in a meeting in Addis Ababa. Similarly, when President Obama visited Ethiopia the TPLF fabricated false news that a terrorist group from Somalia was planning to target the President and his entourage. After cordoning the president in his room for some time the TPLF gave a clear sign, and it was praised for its commitment to protect the president. This is why every news and claims that come from TPLF’s Stronghold Tigray should be received with a grain of Salt. Because what you think is true may turn out to be false and sinister.
Victory to the Masses and Eternal Glory to Our Martyrs.