Law enforcement operation in Tigray an internal issue: Amb. Hirut

Addis Ababa, December 1, 2020 (FBC) –Ethiopian Ambassador to Belgium, Hirut Zemene, said the law enforcement operation in Tigray is an internal issue.

In an interview with The Brussels Times, Ambassador Hirut said “we consider the operation as a matter of protecting our constitutional order and territorial integrity.”

“At the current stage, the situation can be handled by our government,” she added.

When asked if Ethiopia need international humanitarian assistance to cope with flow of refugees to Sudan, she replied that this is an important issue for Ethiopia and of grave concern.

“It’s natural to flee from conflict, but in this case, people were forced or scared to flee by forces linked to the TPLF.”

“To help and protect the civilian population in the region, the government has started to open a humanitarian corridor in north-western Tigray, and this access will expand as things get under control. Once the mission is complete, it is also discussing with Sudan to repatriate its compatriots.”

She noted that there was already a humanitarian problem before the conflict due to the COVID-19 crisis and the heavy rains this year caused by floods. Some parts of Ethiopia were also hit by locusts, the worst locust invasion in 25 years.

“All this has made the situation more challenging, and Ethiopia is grateful for the support of the international partners, including for the recent pledge by the EU provide support to the refugees.”

Asked if Ethiopia can remain a unified country while granting some form of autonomy to its regions, she responded by saying that, “Ethiopia is a federal state, made up of 10 regions with equal rights and autonomy.”

The Ambassador highlighted Ethiopia’s primary focus is improving the lives of its people through development schemes and democratization.

She mentioned in this regards the new 10-year development plan to boost the country’s economy and a return to two-digit economic growth. The plan focuses, among others, on job creation, gender equality and a green economy.

On the COVID-19, she said “At the heights of the coronavirus crisis, the Prime Minister took the initiative with the Jack Ma Foundation to distribute protective kits to African countries. We are now in the middle of an economic slowdown, affecting tourism and other sectors of our economy, but we won’t let this derail our reform process.”

The Ethiopian Prime Minister wrote in an op-ed in The New York Times at the beginning of the pandemic that what developing countries needed the most is debt relief or debt reconstruction.

“We welcomed EU’s position on this at G20 Leaders’ summit in Saudi Arabia last weekend to listen to the needs of developing countries request for debt rescheduling,” Ambassador Hirut said.