Tigray begins New Year with air strikes
Angel Olaran writes that the people of Wukro do not last very long the “celebration” of the entry of 2015 and “forget” the war conflict because Tigray begins the New Year with air strikes.
This publication is the continuation of Wukro dismisses the Tigrayan year 2014 with hopes of peace.
Written by Ángel Olaran
As announced beforehand, yesterday the official news was received that Tigray had proposed the meeting of the two governments in Djibouti, and that the counterpart’s offer was expected today. Both the UN and the EU and others, as expected, have applauded the announcement.
This morning 02-01-15 (September 12, 2022 on our calendar) at 9 o’clock we were informed that the federal army, by drones, has bombed in Makelle the TV station of the Tigrinyan army, as well as its Radio station. It is known that the radio station must have been dismantled, but little is known about the state of the TV station, nor about possible deaths.
Today, 04-01-15 (14/09/22 here), in a crowded area of the city of Makelle, bombs dropped from a drone, killed 10 people.
Unexpected, but within the realm of possibility. We do not expect much from the reactions of our mother institutions either.
Everything points to the fact that we are going to continue without those services of banks, communication, fuel, and the possibility to leave and enter Tigray. Above all: food shortages and scarcity: garlic from about 100 birr per kilo in January to 500 per kilo today – no garlic for breakfast. And that the youth will remain on the fronts until the end. I do not think that there is any room left for another attempt at negotiation, which would be possible without reaching even very, very far to the Ukrainian terms. We do not doubt which way the scales are tipping, on the fronts, but with all the deaths and destruction that would be avoided!
Sitting in front of a Tigrinya television program broadcasted from New York, reactions of Ethiopian political authorities have been circulating. Regarding Tigray’s offer, their criteria were clear: It is a kind of foul play by Tigray, because they know they have no alternative; it is a response to our daily military advances on the fronts; we will never accept anything from them unless they surrender their weapons beforehand. . . And similar reactions. From the PM (Ethiopian prime minister) nothing has been heard.
The PM is in Nairobi representing Ethiopia at the swearing in of the new Kenyan president. It would not be surprising if, at the first meeting with his parliament, he expresses his anger to them for doing such things in his absence.
In the course of the talk show, I learned how the PM had planned to celebrate the victorious entry of his troops into Makelle yesterday 12/09/22, (02-01-15 local date). For the celebration they had prepared 5 million T-shirts, one for each Tigrayan with the boot of a federal soldier on the front and on the back, a thank you to the federal army for liberating us from the Tigrayan/TPLF – they have presented the T-shirts on TV. The gift of the T-shirts was to be accompanied by humanitarian aid to the fullest. The party included the handing over of the weapons by the defeated to the new political administration of Tigray, of course belonging to the PM’s party – Prosperity Party (PP.) The possibility was in their hands: they had arranged a military strategic plan to reach Makelle, through 15 different points of Tigray’s territory, including Wukro as one of them. Something must have gone wrong, but not for lack of military personnel and weaponry. Something that is not in the military market is the motivation of the combatant. And in that we surpass them more than they surpass us in personnel and armament.
They have also commented how, during the time when the federally-appointed Transition government was ruling our region (Tigray), from December 2021 to June 2022, deaths on the streets were common, like when they killed Brehane, our young friend, along with 4 other young boys, after forcing them to bring them chickens, lambs etc. .. from some of the houses. Sometimes they would gather the corpses in a public place and expose them for 3 or more days, not allowing the relatives to pick them up.
On the occasion of a street blockade with truck tires, which was organized by some Wukro youths to prevent a commission of Ethiopian religious leaders, including the Catholic, from passing to Adigrat with the PM’s message of goodwill, 18 of them were killed. Apart from this kind of committee, the entrance to Tigray remained tightly closed.
Makonen, one of the military men who organized the operation, said that 18 were not enough, that there should have been many more.
Abba Gebre, a few days ago, referring to this massacre, told me that a committee from Wukro, in which he was present, expressed to him their condemnation of such a barbarity. He stood by the 13. During those days the mayor of Wukro (who was from the federally-appointed Transition government of Tigray) was killed. There was no reaction from the people, nor from the government.
Fast forward, In one of the battles of the last few days, Makonen with his platoon, or whatever it was, has surrendered to the Tigrayan army. He’s a prisoner of war.
That year, 2021, that I have passed that way (Angel, he means Spain) has freed me from any kind of nervous reaction to any sound that might seem like an explosion. This very afternoon, being in the courtyard with Abo Keshi, Abrehet and another of the school guards, close to 60 years old, who has participated in the two previous wars, and now has been training the young volunteers, they started to evaluate some sounds that could well have been military or thunder, since we are at the end of the rains, and by the origin of the sound could well have been, that, thunder. And they just happened to coincide with about 10 bullet shots, close to our house, but with more sound than those of an ordinary rifle. After about fifteen minute, we had already determined that it was thunder, and we calmed down. In fact, an hour later there was some rain. Possibly, it was the last rain for this year.
Well, no, it was not the last, today (September 14, 22) we received a downpour worthy of the name, starting with hail, which frightened us. The hail, small in size, barely lasted about fifteen minute period and its damage to the orchards was minimal.
The rains are as unpredictable as the developments on the different fronts, which, as of today, are still in our favor.
Let’s see what this night has in store for us.
A big hug,
Angel
