Ethiopia Issued an Arrest Warrant on 76 Senior Military Officers

Government says the military officers conspired with Tigray People’s Liberation Front to dismantle Ethiopia as a country 

Some of the military officers implicated in treason (Photo : EBC)

Borkena

November 18, 2020

As Ethiopian forces were advancing towards Mekelle, the seat of Tigray regional state, the federal government issued an arrest warrant on 76 senior military officers including generals.

The Federal Police Commission accuses the generals of treason. “They planned a plot to dismember Ethiopia by launching an attack on Ethiopian Defense Force Northern command base,” said a report published by the state media – Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC).

According to a report by EBC, 76 military officers conspired with what the Ethiopian government now calls TPLF junta – a handful of people at the helm of TPLF party.

The TPLF, the governing party in the Tigray region, admitted last week on a local TV station, Dimtsi Woyane, that it attacked several military bases of the northern command in “a pre-emptive strike.”  It also confirmed that they seized heavy weapons including tanks, rockets, and air defense systems.

News of what transpired in the “pre-emptive strike” has outraged Ethiopians. Hundreds of soldiers were massacred when the TPLF suddenly controlled the military bases in the region by coordinating with members of defense forces who received missions from TPLF leaders. 

From the lists released by the federal police, those military officers wanted by the federal government for treason seem to be mostly ethnic Tigreans. 

A week ago, the Ethiopian Federal court issued a court order to capture the core of the TPLF leadership that is responsible for the attack on the Defense Force.

Call for special forces in Tigray, Militia, and people

The Federal Police called on the Tigray region special forces, militia, and the people to contribute their part in the effort to bring TPLF leaders to justice.

Defense Chief of Staff the Defense Force, Gen. Berhanu Jula, confirmed on Wednesday that his forces have controlled Shire town. Other sources report that Aksum, which is about 200 kilometers northwest of Mekelle is under the control of Ethiopian Defense Forces.  

Next step is to take control of Mekelle city and the Ethiopian army is reportedly making advances after the decisive military victory in the towns mentioned above. It also controlled key towns south of Mekelle including Alamata.

Chairman of the TPLF, Debretsion Gebremichael, confirmed that his forces lost Shire, Axum, and Alamata, and called on all people in the region to resist what he called “invaders.”