Thread by @althecat

P.S. Correction: The new TPLF claim is an attempt to change the narrative on their attack from a week ago on Abala (closest Afar town to Mekelle).

This is what the @TwitterSpace held yesterday by @meazaG_ and attended by around 500 people was about.

https://twitter.com/althecat/status/1475246137284214792

There were two special guests in that @twitterspace room @Afarfederalist and @Abrar577191701 both new accounts, associated with each other it seems, and associated with an Afar TPLF aligned colonel and his clan.

On Saturday 18th December, the day following the @UNHumanRights meeting in Geneva Abala was attacked. This video records eyewitness/victim testimony about what happened.

https://twitter.com/dahilony/status/1472729530838425601

This tweet explains a bit about where Ab’ala is, a border town which has long had a mix of Afar and Tegaru residents.

https://twitter.com/qafarmedia/status/1474876302075310087

On December 18th the town came under artillery bombardment. Residents trying to leave the town, and defenders then came under sniper attack and small arms fire. As happened in other towns in this conflict a group of Tegaru hid arms in a church and then retrieved them & attacked.

The TPLF’s Ab’ala massacre refered to in this tweet from TPLF propagandist @ProfKindeya relates to these events. During the attack several Afar civilians and fighters were killed as well as several TPLF gunmen.

https://twitter.com/ProfKindeya/status/1474372233787228181

The Afar forces fought off the ground attack whilst under bombardment, and have been under bombardment ever since. This has resulted in the aid route into Mekelle being closed once again, and this may be the reason for the attack.

Notably the artillery bombardment has continued beyond the declaration of and welcoming of the announcement by Debretsion Gebremicheal of a Tigray ceasefire, and the subsequent announcement by GoE that it is not advancing into Tigray.

The decision to turn this into a TPLF information operation appears to be more recent. The tweets from prof Kindeya, Alula Solomon, and the @meazaG_ (@OmnaTigray) hosted @twitterspace with Afar speakers misrepresenting the Ab’ala events + @Tseday in attendance is proof of this.

For more information. @QafarMedia has just held its own @TwitterSpace on this to answer questions about Afar’s experience in the war. The recording of this will hopefully be posted soon.