- Demonstrations took place across several towns of the Tigray regional state
- The Tigray Communication Affairs Bureau denied reports of public protests
Chairman of opposition party Arena Tigray, Abraha Desta said “unknown persons” tried to kidnap him in Mekele on Sunday evening. Hours earlier, a post of Abraha’s official Facebook claimed that unknown people in a Dolphin van tried to kidnap him in Kebele 18 of the regional capital. He wrote that the operation might have been an attempt to intimidate the opposition following the mass rallies held in several towns of Tigray against the regional government on the same day. Abraha said that he was safe following the alleged incident. Amdom Gebreslasie, the communication head of Arena has accused of the regional intelligence organization for the foiled kidnapping attempt, citing eyewitnesses. A member of the leadership of the Tigray People’s Democratic Movement (TPDM), known locally as Demhit, Tsigabu has been arrested in Adigrat town, Amdom wrote on his Facebook page. TPDM is an ex-rebel group formed in 2001 in Eritrea and over 2,000 of its members returned to Tigray two years ago. Frustrated by the situation in Tigray, some of the members are heading back to Eritrea, according to Amdom. TPDM accused of TPLF failing to implement pledges of the reintegration of the members into the regional army.
Demonstrators in several towns of Tigray, including Shire Endasilassie and Wajirat, went on to the streets on Sunday calling on the region’s ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) to respect the rule of law, improve infrastructure and create employment opportunities, Radio Fana reported. The demonstrators carried slogans protesting about widespread nepotism and the abandonment of the masses by elite leadership. Protestors in Wajirat, among others, complained that their demand for their own district has gone unheeded, according to Fana. However, the Tigray Communication Affairs Bureau on its Facebook page has denied reports that there were demonstrations in Shire Endaslessie and Wajirat and its environs. The Bureau published a lengthy statement accusing the federal government and media of trying to weaken and divide the region. It asked the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation to take measures against the media houses that disseminated “reports that aren’t true”.
Published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence. Please cite Ethiopia Observer prominently and link clearly to the original article if you republish. If you have any queries, please contact us at ethiopiaobserver@protonmail.com. Check individual images for licensing details.
TPLF that has lost its hegemonic position at the federal level has been portraying itself as a victim and has been accusing of the Abiy administration marginalizing the Tigray region. In reality, it has been using this to justify repressive tactics against the Tigrayan masses. Pointing fingers at Abiy or Eritrea might help to rally support for some time but not all the time. Unless TPLF promptly resolves grievances of the people, it will be kicked out from Mekele, the way it was kicked out from Addis Ababa.
Right on point.
The youth in Wajirat are protesting and closing roads because they are afraid that the woreda center would be transferred to Adi Kehi instead of Bahir Atsebey. But it has not officially been decided yet. But the biggest protest is in Asgede District, northwestern Tigray, where they have closed the road for the past ten days. They are angry because Mai Hanse has not been selected as woreda center. the local officials told them to present their demand to the regional government in a peaceful way.