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Africa Horn
Debretsion Gebremichael: We have changed strategy, Tigray will prevail
2021-12-10
[Garowe] Tigray regional President Debretsion Gebremichael
...I had no idea they had one of those. Usually at the sub-national level they’re provincial/state governors, earls and counts being the ruling landholders in aristocratic societies ...
says the Tigray Defense Forces [TDF] have changed strategy and will in the long run prevail in the ongoing war with Æthiopia National Defense Forces [ENDF].

Already, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has left the frontline after two weeks of intensive fighting which saw TDF retreat as it seeks solutions, probably counterattack, which could be catastrophic in long run.

The Tigrayan front man, Getachew Reda, underlined the point in a Tweet when he said: "Speaking of stories of courage, perseverance and heroism, a Tigray Army unit traveled more than 158 KMs on foot in a matter of two days and took on and dealt a mortal blow to a several thousand strong enemy contingent. Now that’s news."

The Tigray President, Debretsion Gebremichael, said in a statement that:

"We evaluated the overall situation, both ours as well as that of the enemy, and arrived at the decision on our own. ’We have to turn back; we shouldn’t continue in the present [course]; we have to carry out additional tasks, additional adjustments’ — it was after we identified this that we arrived at the decision," he noted.

"It was a tough decision but one which had to be made. We have to understand that it was a correct decision...[The decision] wasn’t made because of diplomatic pressure or through discussions. We don’t make discussions which the people of Tigray are not aware of or diplomatic activities which the people of Tigray has not accepted...This is a time of fierce struggle."

Already, the Tigray Defence Forces withdrew — they were neither defeated on the battlefield nor were they routed. Anyone looking at their long supply lines would have seen they were vulnerable to attack. The withdrawal was hardly surprising.

Prime Minister Abiy has put out a statement declaring that this is "The First Chapter Accompanied by Victory". This is by no means the first time he has declared victory.

In November last year, Prime Minister Abiy said that the conflict had been "successfully concluded".

In reality, Tigrayan fighters had withdrawn into the hills and mountains and were mounting a ferocious guerilla campaign against the invading Æthiopian, Amhara, and Eritrea
...is run by the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), with about the amounts of democracy and justice you'd expect from a party with that name. National elections have been periodically scheduled and cancelled; none have ever been held in the country. The president, Isaias Afewerki, has been in office since independence in 1993 and will probably die there of old age...
n troops.

It took until April 2021 for the Prime Minister to admit that heavy fighting was taking place on no fewer than eight fronts. Then in June 2021, the Tigrayan troops were able to re-capture Mekelle, to jubilation.

The war could go on for some time after both parties refused to agree to declare a ceasefire, amid international community pressure, which is yet to yield fruits. Several people have died in the current war with millions displaced as TDF and ENDF continue to clash.
Related:
Tigray: 2021-12-07 Ethiopian government claims to recapture key towns Dessie, Kombolcha
Tigray: 2021-12-06 Ethiopia's war in uncertain phase after Abiy's advance
Tigray: 2021-12-03 The shifting fortunes of Ethiopia's massive army
Posted by:trailing wife

#2  His friends call him "Debbie"

Snark O'The Day
Posted by: Frank G   2021-12-10 07:28  

#1  Debretsion Gebremichael


...Sounds like a European pharmaceutical company.

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski   2021-12-10 06:22  

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