Thread by @althecat

The role of @patrickwight1 (who has a Locked @Twitter account) in attacking the work and reputations of @BronwynBruton (FP scholar US) & @afitz3105 (Canadian Professor & leading scholar in Ethiopian military matters) - relentlessly over recent weeks is completely disgraceful.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

@patrickwight1 @Twitter @BronwynBruton @afitz3105 And as a thread…..

1/ The role of @patrickwight1 (who has a Locked @Twitter account) in attacking the work and reputations of @BronwynBruton (FP scholar US) & @afitz3105 (Canadian Professor & leading scholar in Ethiopian military matters) - relentlessly over recent weeks is… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

2/ It is to be remembered that Wight's partner in abuse of journalistic ethics at @EthiopiaInsight is @wldavison10

3/ @wdavison10 is @CrisisGroup's seemingly untouchable - solo - Ethiopia desk lead - albeit occasionally subbed these days for @alanboswell81 in podcasts.

4/ Davison was expelled from Ethiopia long ago - something he remains very bitter about - a phenomena which is something of a pattern among western correspondents/analysts/journalists in Ethiopia who have been expelled for telling lies.

5/ Additional Notes : I have spoken to Davison just once - which was enough.

I asked him why the Article 2 UN Charter provisions on political independence (Sovereignty) and territorial integrity (including against rebellions) - did not - in his opinion apply to Ethiopia's fight… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

6/ His answers to this question were completely unsatisfactory.

We discussed this in in several different ways for some time but @wdavison stuck to his position that the TPLF rebellion had legitimacy at international law absent any rationale/legal explanation that I could… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

7/ @wdavison10's solo role in Ethiopia - and his sideline in freelance publishing - is notable to its similarity to the operations of several other prominent Western TPLF information warriors.

8/ Most notably:
- @WorldPeaceFdtn's Alex de Waal (US @FletcherSchool / @TuftsUniversity )
- @martinplaut (UK of @EritreaHub)

9/ Both are presumably financed in some clumsy way by FCDO and Foggy Bottom. Plaut is also funded by the European Commission.

/ 10 Davison's solo role wrt Ethiopian Analysis is also relevant because it contrasts markedly with the depth of talent quality and nuance of @CrisisGroup's analysts deployed by @CrisisGoup chief @EroComfort who is based out of Nairobi with several significantly more sober and… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

/11 Anyone supporting or relying on any of these publications (@EthiopiaInsight @WorldPeaceFdtn and @EritreaHub) needs to be aware of the role of these men as apologists and cheer leaders for the TPLF in the largest and most lethal war of the 21st Century so far.

/12 They ought to also consider whether continuing to contribute to, read or financially support these operations – which imo are paid disinformation operations – is in the interests of peace and reconciliation in Ethiopia.

/13 Finally it is worth noting that @CrisisGroup alumni include several other notable misinformation mercenaaries for death during this war. These include.
- SAHAN chief and Somalian Warlord (also a sacked and expelled UN sanctions monitor for Somalia) @Dibjir
- And his lead… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

/14 Throughout the war SAHAN has played a spoiler role and acted in concert with the propaganda operations of the TPLF. It seems reasonable to assert that they are being paid for this. Though @Dibjir’s role could be significantly more murky than that given is very unusual… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

/15 When it comes to the work of @afitz3105 – this discussion is particularly relevant because of the subject matter of Professor Fitzgerald’s seminal article based on 160+ interviews with Tigrayan refugees and POWs.

/16 All of these men Davison / Wight / deWaal/ Plaut / @Dibjir and @rashidabdi^^^^have played a leading role in whitewashing the recruitment, deployment and death of 100s of thousands of TPLF conscripted Tigrayan child soldiers in 2021.

@Dibjir @rashidabdi /17 Further waves of children were also killed in massive numbers in the war started in August that began in August 2024 after the TPLF walked away from peace talks.

/18 There are reports during this phase of the war of the summary execution by TPLF snipers of children advancing as part of human wave attacks if they tried to run away from the fighting.

19/ During 2021 two wars were started by TPLF – Operation “Alula” and Operation “Mothers of Tigray”- both initiated by TPLF. One in June and one in July.

20/ The TPLF also initiated the first war at the end of 2020 - a treacherous massacre of fellow officers and slaughter of all non TPLF loyalist plotters in multiple military bases across the Tigray Region on the night on November 4th - During the US election of Joe Biden.

21/ On the same night TPLF activists later identified as @OmnaTigray launched the #TigrayGenocide hashtag, which could not have started on that day – as Tigray at that time was under TPLF control.

/22 The first 2021 battle (Operation Alula) began on June 13th 2021 with the deployment of a large contingent of TPLF forces to Alamata. It ended on June 24th with a Govt. retreat from Mekelle.

This battle coincided with the first genuine democratic election in Ethiopia on June… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

/23 the victory of the TPLF in Tigray was breathlessly reported by NY Times Correspondent Declan Walsh who arrived just in time to see the end of the fight - including the shooting down of an ENDF Hercules with a surface to air missile.

Walsh's story revealed extremely… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

/24 On June 28th the Govt. of Ethiopia announced the first of 3 unilateral ceasefires in the conflict - so far. None of which have been accepted/reciprocated or observed by the TPLF military command – including the one which came into effect on December 21, 2021.

/25 The use of coercive techniques by the TPLF to recruit child soldiers in this war - highlighted by @afitz3105 in her “Frontline Voices” research is not a controversial or disputed fact in this war in Ethiopia - there are thousands of witnesses to and photos and videos of the… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

@afitz3105 The research under debate here can be read at >> borkena.com/2022/04/28/the…

@afitz3105 /26 The recruitment and use of child soldiers by the TPLF - which they deny in English news reports was openly talked about in Amharic and Tigrayan communications in both 2021 and 2022.

@afitz3105 /27 Videos and images of the recruitment activity are numerous – showing young Tigrayans signing up, being trained and of their dead bodies on the ground in multiple locations. The child soldiers were typically not given weapons rarely if ever uniforms.

/28 In May 2022 TPLF Milltary leadership openly discussed their operational plans to recruit a “million person army” via TV news broadcasts disseminated via social media.

/29 Not to belabour the point – but it bares repeating given the continuing harassment of the writer of this research - this is also the focus of the specific work of @afitz3105 which Wight (the subject of this thread) is currently so intent on undermining.

Moreover it is also… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

/30 Wight is now also attacking @BronwynBruton because she is supporting her professional colleague in this matter.

/ends

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