The Ethiopia - Tigray War Update

As war between the Tigray ethnics' TPLF (Tigray People's Liberation Front) and Ethiopian army
and Eritrean forces, I was alarmed and followed the events with great interest, all the while,
hoping for Ethiopian forces to win out in the end, as the Tigray had apparently turned rogue.

But war is war, and no one wins. And now the victors have gone well beyond the pale.
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Special Report: Health official alleges ‘sexual slavery’ in Tigray; women blame soldiers

ADIGRAT, Ethiopia (Reuters) - The young mother was trying to get home with food for her two children when she says soldiers pulled her off a minibus in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, claiming it was overloaded.

It was the beginning of an 11-day ordeal in February, during which she says she was repeatedly raped by 23 soldiers who forced nails, a rock and other items into her v***na, and threatened her with a knife.

Doctors showed Reuters the bloodstained stone and two 3-inch nails they said they had removed from her body.

The woman, 27, is among hundreds who have reported that they were subjected to horrific sexual violence by Ethiopian and allied Eritrean soldiers after fighting broke out in November in the mountainous northern region of Ethiopia, doctors said.


https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-conflict-rape-specialreport/special-report-health-official-alleges-sexual-slavery-in-tigray-women-blame-soldiers-idUSKBN2C20P0

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Lord help us. A truly disgusting turn of events. To the victor go the spoils.

@earl-of-trumps said
As war between the Tigray ethnics' TPLF (Tigray People's Liberation Front) and Ethiopian army
and Eritrean forces, I was alarmed and followed the events with great interest, all the while,
hoping for Ethiopian forces to win out in the end, as the Tigray had apparently turned rogue.

But war is war, and no one wins. And now the victors have gone well beyond the pal ...[text shortened]... -------------------

Lord help us. A truly disgusting turn of events. To the victor go the spoils.

Not so much a war as an exercise of violent repression of its civilian population by a central federal government.
Calling it a war is over dignifying the reality on the ground.

@kevcvs57 said
Not so much a war as an exercise of violent repression of its civilian population by a central federal government.
Calling it a war is over dignifying the reality on the ground.

You have to understand the situation, Kev.

Under the Ethiopian constitution, any group is allowed to petition the government to be semi-autonomous.
The Tigrayan people won that right, and they had their own military that attacked the federal troops last Fall.

Don't underestimate the Tigrayan forces. They have several times invaded Eretria and attacked the capital city.
They have also attacked a neighboring Ethiopian state, and had incursions into Sudan. These Tigrayans are bullies!

They spelled their own doom when they attacked three Ethiopian military bases in Tigray.
Tigray is still semi-autonomous but the same ruling people, TPLF, have been stripped of power.

@earl-of-trumps said
You have to understand the situation, Kev.

Under the Ethiopian constitution, any group is allowed to petition the government to be semi-autonomous.
The Tigrayan people won that right, and they had their own military that attacked the federal troops last Fall.

Don't underestimate the Tigrayan forces. They have several times invaded Eretria and attacked the capi ...[text shortened]... ray.
Tigray is still semi-autonomous but the same ruling people, TPLF, have been stripped of power.

Perhaps they want more than semi autonomy earl that doesn’t give the central government any kind of right to rape and murder those it claims as its own civilian populace.
These borders to the north are probably ones drawn by European powers for administrative purposes. If the Ethiopian Army was being bullied by the Tigray’ans then these atrocities would be taking place in Addis Abada.
What they should have done is withdraw and let the provincial government negotiate with the federal government.

The post that was quoted here has been removed

TO THE NORTH DEAR, TO THE NORTH OF TIGRAY.
earl was referring to Tigray and its clashes with Eritrea TO THE NORTH.
I wonder if the duchess64 has applied her phenomenal analytic powers to the question of why Tigray is a semi autonomous region.
That’s your homework for today.

@kevcvs57 said
Perhaps they want more than semi autonomy earl that doesn’t give the central government any kind of right to rape and murder those it claims as its own civilian populace.
These borders to the north are probably ones drawn by European powers for administrative purposes. If the Ethiopian Army was being bullied by the Tigray’ans then these atrocities would be taking place in A ...[text shortened]... hould have done is withdraw and let the provincial government negotiate with the federal government.

We have no argument on that one, no right to rape women like that. Cut up a woman like that...? Disgusting.
And I think you are right, the Tigrayans want more then "semi" autonomy.

The problem with war... as it has been all along, a primordial aggression takes over the soul of man.

@kevcvs57 said
TO THE NORTH DEAR, TO THE NORTH OF TIGRAY.
earl was referring to Tigray and its clashes with Eritrea TO THE NORTH.
I wonder if the duchess64 has applied her phenomenal analytic powers to the question of why Tigray is a semi autonomous region.
That’s your homework for today.

you are correct, Eretria is to the north, and was once part of Ethiopia. They fought for their independence and won.
But the Tigray ethnics still have a major problem with the Eretrians, so much so, that the Eritiran army has secretly
joined their former enemy, Ethiopia, just to come in to Tigray and screw the people.

The Eritrian military has no problem going after Tigrayan civilians because they have militias and those militias
have been brutal - not just to the Eretrians over the border, but to other ethnics in Tigray. And they have 82 of ethnics.

EDIT to add:
Just to show how screwed up it all is, with communications cut and a war going on, Tigrayan civilians decided to
go after two ethnic groups. Lead by a Tigrayan Youth Group, they and Militias and local police killed 102
ethnic minorities and then burned their houses down.

The wild emotions that only come out in man once in a great while.

Interesting thread. I don't know much about the people involved.

The post that was quoted here has been removed

Thanks for the confirmation of my point, a European power was involved in drawing the border in THE NORTH. Only someone ignorant of the compass would take the term ‘THE NORTH’ to be vague.

@earl-of-trumps said
you are correct, Eretria is to the north, and was once part of Ethiopia. They fought for their independence and won.
But the Tigray ethnics still have a major problem with the Eretrians, so much so, that the Eritiran army has secretly
joined their former enemy, Ethiopia, just to come in to Tigray and screw the people.

The Eritrian military has no problem going ...[text shortened]... then burned their houses down.

The wild emotions that only come out in man once in a great while.

This is similar to post colonial thing whereby Tribal groupings were not considered when borders were drawn up and I’m guessing when Eritrea was recognised by the Ethiopian government in the south it agreed on borders that compromised the people of Tigray.
I find it hard to imagine Tigray bullying it’s neighbour the North and it’s Federal government in the South but ethnic / tribal violence is as inexcusable as the actions perpetrated on Tigray’s civilians by the Eritrean and Ethiopian armed forces.
As the situation develops we will see what geopolitical forces are at play.

@kevcvs57 -
I’m guessing when Eritrea was recognised by the Ethiopian government in the
south it agreed on borders that compromised the people of Tigray.

I'm guessing you are right.

I know that to be the case with Amhara state to the West of Tigray. Tigray's creation apparently
took land from Amhara and fights have occurred over the years, and there was much fighting
between the Amhara and Tigrayans when war broke out with Ethiopia as well. It seems that when Tigray was
overrun with federal troops to contend with, that is when these lesser elements - Eretria and Amhara,
dug their heels in to Tigray. Also, Sudan was not happy with Tigray because of a massive refugee crisis they received.

All in all, I think it a good thing that Tigray be forced to change leaders and I commend Ethiopia for their actions.

The post that was quoted here has been removed

Seriously Duchess64 what white racist conservative makes a thread like this?!