Editor TLN
Sep. 27 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Government of Ethiopia has asked humanitarian aid organizations on Monday not to operate in those areas where the Army is attacking the Tigray rebels, after one of the United Nations trucks was damaged during the end of week.
“The Government once again warns aid organizations to refrain from operating in areas where the Government is taking preventive measures,” reads the statement made public by the Executive, as reported by the Ethiopian chain FANA.
Addis Ababa has accused the Tigray Popular Liberation Front (TPLF) of using NGO vehicles for war, stating that the “terrorist group has been using trucks for war purposes in the past” that were “shown to be providing help the militants.
In addition, the Abiy Ahmed Administration has claimed that the TPLF paints logos of the World Food Program and the UN on the hijacked vehicles. “Therefore, the Government strongly recommends aid organizations to ensure that the vehicles they use for aid are not used by the terrorist group,” the letter reads.
These measures have been taken after the UN confirmed that one of its trucks had been damaged by debris from an apparent drone attack on Sunday. The driver reportedly suffered minor injuries.
TPLF spokesman Reda Getachew pointed to the prime minister on Sunday for the attack: “Abiy Ahmed’s drones targeted a truck carrying aid (…)”.
“I hope that the World Food Program denounces Abiy Ahmed for this scandalous crime,” he denounced, before criticizing the organization’s passivity in the face of these attacks. “We know he has convincing enough reports, but ‘realpolitik’ must not be allowed to trump humanitarian values,” he said in a message on his Twitter profile.
