Thread by @althecat

Two parts of the @UN_Spokesperson's readout are problematic, and help point in the direction of explaining the expulsions.

"The spread of conflict into the Amhara and Afar regions"

"fighting along the Tigray regional boundary has led to 100s of 1000s of people being displaced."

https://twitter.com/althecat/status/1445393491866095624

They both relate to a phenomena that needs a better name.

It is often called "false equivalence" but, IMO that's not strong enoug. @Qnie_Addis has done a thread on "gaslighting" which is what it is, but as a term is not IMO specific enough.

https://twitter.com/Qnie_Addis/status/1443600329459879943?s=20

@Qnie_Addis "The spread of conflict into the Amhara and Afar regions"

The conflict did not "spread". TPLF forces invaded.

This lack of precision makes it sounds as if Ethiopia contributed to this, when in fact at the time that it "spread" Ethiopia was under a unilateral ceasefire.

"fighting along the Tigray regional boundary has led to 100s of 1000s of people being displaced."

Similarly this is not what is happening. The fighting is not along the regional boundary, the incursions into Ethiopia went 100s of KMs into North and South Gondor.

This phrase implies that these are border skirmishes, when in fact there was an invasion in July, and large parts of Ethiopia are under occupation still.

Lalibela is stlll occupied by TPLF, it is 126kms drive from Tigray. Fresh atrocity reports from escaped IDPs are continuous.

An American Getty News contributing Photo Journalist @JemalCountess has been reporting from the area recently. Here is being interviewed by @AnnGarrison of KPFA Pacifica Radio.

https://twitter.com/althecat/status/1444674418580627456?s=20

The interview in the tweet linked above is mostly about interviews with escaped IDPs, he recounts the distance that they have to travel to escape from Lalibela to get to safety. Here is another, written report, from him on Lalibela - now a TPLF fortress.

https://twitter.com/althecat/status/1443585820313620481?s=20

The City of Dessie has been close to the front line for the past 2 months. The TPLF has run multiple online social media intimidation efforts to terrify those in the city. Saying they are about to invade or shell it.

Dessie alone is sheltering 100s of 1000s of IDPs.

The village of Chena, Dabat District, North Gondar is on the other route out of Tigray to the south, 131 kms away. It was captured by a second TPLF invasion army on August 31st. And soon after 100s of people were massacred.

The attack has been reported to have been a revenge attack. Which took place following a significant defeat of the invading army. Here is an @AP Report on the massacre, published September 10th. apnews.com/article/africa…

Debre Tabor is a town famous among other things for being the place the decisive battle was fought by TPLF/EPLF forces to win the 1991 war which brought the TPLF-led EPRDF govt. to power 30 years ago.

And in this current war it is the place that they suffered a decisive defeat.

It's the furthest into Ethiopia that the TPLF's two invading armies managed to get. When the battle ended the retreating TPLF forces shelled the town, again in revenge. Here is a thread telling the story posted the following day.

https://twitter.com/althecat/status/1428393615466930183?s=20

Debre Tabor is 300kms from the Tigray Border by August 18th, the day of the battle, TPLF' invasion had been underway for 34 days.

"fighting along the Tigray regional boundary has led to 100s of 1000s of people being displaced." - @UN_Spokesperson today.

Clearly Debre Tabor is not "along the "Tigray regional boundary". And until very recently (it's now 48 days after the battle) much of the area to the north and east of Debre Tabor has been in TPLF hands.

You can find an interview conducted on August 3rd (63 days ago) by the BBC with the commander of TPLF Army 2 which led this invasionGen. Tsadkan.

Facebook @BBCAfrica >> facebook.com/watch/?v=10083…

In the interview Gen Tsadkan Gebretensa says "the unilateral ceasefire is a non-starter" he says that the objectives of the invasion are to "pressurise the govt to accept our conditions for ceasefire" and accept their demands for an "ultimate political solution".

At the time what the TPLF meant by an "ultimate political solution was for the Government to step down and for a new interim Government to be formed. I.E. regime change.

Given all this what should we call what the @UN_spokesperson and other UN spokespersons are doing when they routinely dismiss and diminish the extent of, brutality of and clearly stated intentions of the TPLF, and insist the Tigray conflict is a "humanitarian crisis"?

I don't know.

But we need a clear and simple phrase to describe this that the UN, USG and media will understand.

/ENDS

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