10 days ago TPLF critic @AbdiwahabSheik7 was abducted in downtown Nairobi, Kenya in front of a crowd of onlookers. These were his last two tweets. The day before.
1.
1.
https://twitter.com/abdiwahabsheik7/status/1435478115883552769
He has now been released. Which is good. Very Good.
In the intervening period. There was a suicide bombing in MOG. PM Roble, pictured talking to Boris Johnson in the first tweet, had his powers removed. There was also an armed standoff at the intelligence HQ, and an attempted abduction of Somalia’s spy chief.
On Friday the USG announced an executive order with broad powers to enable it to enact sanctions against anyone preventing a ceasefire in the Ethiopia/Tigray conflict.
Tonight the Head of Uganda’s armed forces has delivered a public show of support for Egyptian dictator Al-Sisi by way of several tweets.
The timing seems odd to say the least. Generals generally don’t deliver diplomatic messages.
The timing seems odd to say the least. Generals generally don’t deliver diplomatic messages.
https://twitter.com/althecat/status/1439717112327573504
But that’s not a rule. The commander of Centcom recently also visited Egypt at a very sensitive time and delivered a message of support to Egypt, in a manner that was clearly intended to send a message to Ethiopia.
With the working week about to commence and the UNGA underway in New York it the United States is ratcheting up pressure on Ethiopia to enter into “negotiations without preconditions” with the TPLF. A demand that it knows will not be complied with.
This has already happened twice in the last two months, first with @PowerUSAID and later with @JoeBiden envoy Jeffrey Feltman. Neither even met with Ethiopian PM @AbiyAhmedAli. Something which western analysts seem to think rude, but which meets diplomatic protocol.
And there is a reason.
TPLF forces invaded the Amhara and Afar regions of Ethiopia, during the Solemn Olympic Truce and have been there ever since killing civilians and creating millions more IDPs.
TPLF forces invaded the Amhara and Afar regions of Ethiopia, during the Solemn Olympic Truce and have been there ever since killing civilians and creating millions more IDPs.
The invasion of Afar which included an attack on IDPs at medical center which killed 240 blocked the corridor for aid to be delivered, but the US and EU blamed the Govt of Ethiopia.
Eventually aid deliveries resumed but after a couple of weeks the WFP ran out of trucks because 428 of them did not return from Tigray.
Meanwhile TPLF forces looted @USAID and @UNICEF warehouses and continued their killing and raping across large swathes of Amhara.
Meanwhile TPLF forces looted @USAID and @UNICEF warehouses and continued their killing and raping across large swathes of Amhara.
And through all of this, much of which occurred under a unilateral Govt.ceasefire, the USG continued to berate the Ethiopian Govt and demand it enter into talks. Even as the TPLF refused to do so.
There is much much more including new fresh massacres by the TPLF and the looting and destruction of a 1.5bn USD rail project and the theft of 100s of tonnes of explosives.
All by a rebel secessionist movement which previously ran Ethiopia for decades as a close US ally.
All by a rebel secessionist movement which previously ran Ethiopia for decades as a close US ally.
It seemed sensible to take @POTUS @JoeBiden and his @VP at their word on Friday when they announced their package of measures intended to bring peace.
But four days on the clock is ticking, the killing is continuing and the USG hasn’t done anything concrete, in word or deed.
But four days on the clock is ticking, the killing is continuing and the USG hasn’t done anything concrete, in word or deed.
Ethiopia is not going to capitulate to this pressure and has said so very clearly. And tonight’s Uganda move suggests the African Bureau is only just getting started.
/ENDS
/ENDS
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
