Ethiopia’s government has warned the United States to stop spreading false statements including the latest on possible terrorist attacks in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. Minister of Government Communication Service, Kebede Desisaa said the government has warned the US embassy and organizations against their continued practice of Speculation about possible terrorist attacks in the capital is False, and it’s Against Diplomatic Principles.
According to Kebede, these organizations previously circulated information that Addis Ababa was under siege by the rebels force, and now that was replaced by another false information about a threat of terrorism. He also said Ethiopia´s war is not only against forces from TPLF terrorist group “but also with the colonialism of the powerful states of the West.“
The Communication Service State Minister, said the false information being disseminated by the US Embassy in Addis Ababa demonstrates the fact that the US is providing support for the terrorist TPLF. The purpose is to mislead the international community about the reality on the ground in Ethiopia and tarnish the country’s image as well as discourage foreign investors from coming to the country.
Such moves would hurt the historical ties between the two nations, Kebede urged Ethiopians living abroad and those of Ethiopian descent not to cooperate in this conspiracy. He also warned US aid agencies of saying they will abandon their air works and leave. Ethiopians will not change our dignity for wheat, Kebede was quoted as saying.
The conflict, which erupted in November last year in Ethiopia’s northernmost Tigray region between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, has over the past months spread across neighboring Amhara and Afar regions as forces loyal to the TPLF have advanced southward.
This prompted huge popular mobilization in the regions as well as other states in the country to fight back the TPLF’s expansion.
Earlier this month, the Ethiopian House of People’s Representatives ratified a six-month state of emergency rule to contain the TPLF’s advancement and ensure the country’s peace and security.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and rebellious forces from the Tigray region in the north have been fighting for more than a year, in a conflict that has killed thousands and displaced millions in Africa’s second most populous nation.
This week the Irish government said Ethiopia had expelled four of six Irish diplomats because of Ireland’s stance on the conflict. Ethiopian government spokespeople have also warned against unnamed external threats and criticised Western governments for what they say is inaccurate coverage of the war.