Victims of terrorist TPLF tell harrowing stories

Addis Ababa, February 12, 2022 (FBC) – The terrorist TPLF had committed gross crimes against citizens in Amhara and Afar regions it has temporarily invaded and occupied.

The terrorist group had no sympathy for helpless children and pleading mothers. It responded to their pleas by gunning them down with bullets demonstrating that it is a group out to conduct wanton acts against innocent citizens.

Although the spokespersons of the terrorist group have been claiming that “ the conflict is with politicians and not with the public”, in practice, however, they have proved their anti-people stance by committing untold atrocities against the people in the two regions.

Citizens who were the victims of their barbaric acts are living witnesses to the inhuman acts that the terrorist group had committed.

Residents of North Wollo Zone in Amhara region, who were being treated for the injuries they sustained in the hands of the terrorists, have shared their ordeals with ENA.

The victims under treatment at the Armed Forces Specialized Hospital in Addis Ababa said the terrorist organization had committed untold atrocities beyond human imagination.

A 27 years old mother of two children aged 5 and 1 year and 3 months old, Worke Wodaje, narrated her ordeal as follows.

“Some members of the terrorist group smashed the front door of our house on December 8, 2021 at about 8pm in the evening and tied the hands and legs of my husband and tried to rape me. The terrorist threw my child on the floor and started to wrestle forcefully to rape me. My husband who found it hard to take the situation tried to intervene and the neighborhood started to plead to the terrorists by spreading their blankets on the floor in a traditional manner of appealing for mercy. But the terrorists never backed off.

“I struggled hard and tried to free my husband. One of the terrorists then fired a bullet injuring my legs and I fell on the floor. They next killed my husband in front of me and the children,” Worke added sobbing.

The 48 years old Zewditu Mengesha who  is a mother of six children was another victim of the terrorists.

In Kobo town the terrorists forcefully took injera that she baked for her kids by coming into her house. While she was one day baking injera , however, the terrorists fired bullets into the house and injured her fingers

“I have lost all fingers of my left hand. They always threatened that they will finish us off. They were beating us and forcing us to give them injera. Our life was horrible and disgusting.”

Another woman who suffered in the hands of the terrorists was Hadigaz Rahemet.

She was carrying a child of her sister on her back and escorting another child when they fired bullets on them.

Hadigaz and the child she was carrying suffered severe injuries. The child she was escorting died from injury while she and the child on her back were injured.

She was also shot on her left cheek and is suffering from the unbearable wound.

Hadigaz lamented that the terrorists robbed her of her youthful life and noted that she could not have survived had it not been for the protection and support she had received from members of the defense force.

“They chased us out of the house and started beating us. They killed anyone they wanted and wounded others. The 2 year-old child I carried on my back is now under medication in Dessie. The 4 year-old child had died.”

The victims confirmed that apart from defending their country, members of the defense force have shown compassion and care for civilian victims in the areas which were temporarily occupied by the terrorists.

They clean up and care for victims whom the terrorists left to die, the victims related.

“They (members of the defense force) provided a lot of care for me. They cared for me before I came here and they were visiting me every three days to follow up on my condition. We came here from Woldiya by public transport with a reasonable fare.”

Zewditu on her part narrated that her son found her in the evening lying down near the stove she was baking injera.

“Then came our saviors, members of the defense force. When the defense force reclaimed the area and the junta fled, we were able to get medical treatment after 12 days. They picked me up from where I was lying.”

Besides freeing the entire area from the terrorists, members of the defense force gave medical treatments for the injured and also consoled them.

Other injured civilians are thus being treated at the Armed Forces Specialized Hospital while this news was covered on the spot.