US ambassador says Ethiopia military avoiding collateral damage in Tigray
Finfinnee (Yeroo) US ambassador Michael Raynor and US assistant Secretary of State Tibor P. Nagy gave briefings on the conflict in northern Ethiopia, which began after “attacks on November 3rd by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) on Ethiopian National Defense Force bases in the Tigray region.”
Ambassador Raynor confirmed the Ethiopian government is maximizing protections for civilians caught in the war zone. The ENDF has “passed up TPLF targets that they felt would have put civilians at risk,” he added. In comments Tuesday, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has also admitted the operation is taking longer than expected due to his federal military’s “unprecedented effort to avoid collateral damage to civilians.” Ethiopia’s chief of the army Gen Birhanu Jula, who previously served as commander in a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping force, accused members of the TPLF for allegedly hiding inside churches, while smuggling heavy weaponry inside Tigray universities on purpose. The TPLF leaders “desperately want us to hurt civilians for their politics, but we are after the criminals, not our Tigrayan brothers and sisters,” Birhanu said.
US ambassador Raynor added that the Ethiopian government is “planning their military campaign around civilians,” to avoid casualties to non-combatants.
Despite these efforts by the government, analysts warn civilians will eventually suffer and the only guarantee for their safety is an immediate ceasefire from both sides.
Regarding peace talks, the US ambassador said his recent communications with both TPLF and the government showed no interest, as there was a “strong commitment on both sides to see the military conflict through.” Therefore, the United States is focused on the humanitarian effort, however the TPLF rebuffed that possibility while only the government showed interest to provide a humanitarian corridor, he stated.
After earlier restrictions on movement, government spokesman Redwan Hussein recently promised humanitarian assistance for displaced people, while opening up more for international media who have been reporting from northern Ethiopian towns near the conflict zone.
Despite relative freedom in access for foreign media already inside Ethiopia, “the government continues to deny press visas for international journalists outside the country,” one western reporter revealed to Yeroo media.
Lacking access to information inside Tigray, several western journalists have began reporting about Facebook posts by supporters of the TPLF. However, according to BBC, most pictures shared on social media accusing the government or claiming military successes for the TPLF have ended up being “manipulated” photos from China, Russia and even Yemen.
