Arriving in Rwanda on Tuesday afternoon, Minister Demeke Mekonnen held talks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Rwanda, Dr. Vincent Biruta, in a meeting which was also attended by the Secretary-General of the Office of Investigation and Security (NISS), Maj. Gen. Joseph Nzabamwita.
The purpose of the visit is to discuss with Rwanda the recent security crisis in Ethiopia, where the Government Forces are in conflict with the Tigray province.
In discussions with Minister Mekonnen, President Kagame expressed his desire for peace and freedom to return to Ethiopia in the near future.
A few days after the fighting broke out in Ethiopia, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's administration disagreed with the Tigray Province in the north of the country which also led to the deployment of troops on both sides, now fearing that as long as the situation continues with more civilians will be affected.
The origin of the conflict
Earlier this month, Abiy accused Tigray soldiers of attacking government military bases.
He also immediately sent troops to the area led by the TPLF, the Tigray People's Liberation Front. It is a party that has had a strong voice in the country in the past.
Recently, Abiy told National Television that the Ethiopian army had carried out an attack in the province, dismantling a weapons depot near the local capital, Mecca.
Amnesty International said some civilians had been killed by machetes and irons in the Mai-Kadra area, but did not say which side among these was behind the attack.
It is alleged that the attack that took place on Friday made 6 victims.
Last week, the Tigray Army launched a missile strike in Eritrea; since Prime Minister Abiy came to power he has done his utmost to keep Eritrea and Ethiopia live at peace with each other, which also earned him the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize. Eritrea shares a border with the Tigray region.
Tigray's mayor, Debretsion Gebremichael, said Eritrea had sent troops and mortars to the border to attack the Ethiopian government. He said the bombings in Eritrea were aimed at withdrawing his troops.
The conflict prompted hundreds of locals to flee to Sudan.
Abiy announced on his Twitter account on Monday that his government was ready to receive and calmly relocate refugees to neighboring countries. He assured them of security. The following day he announced that the Ethiopian Army was going to continue "in the final and most important phase" of its military operations.
Since 2018 a bad atmosphere has engulfed the country between Abiy and TPLF leaders. As Prime Minister, Abiy abolished the long-running coalition led by the TPLF, forming a new prosperous party called the Prosperity Party.
Analysts say that has led to the TPLF to the realization that it has to reconcile with the Prosperity Party and share its plans; or else step aside. TPLF chose not to reconcile with the Prosperity Party.
This year when Abiy postponed the election due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Tigray officials rebelled against the decision, and then held their own election. Abiy immediately refused the results of the September polls, which made the atmosphere worse.
In October this year, members of the Ethiopian parliament decided to withdraw funding for the region.
As the tension keeps on growing in the region in a very alarming way, the entire region is likely to be so troubled that a large number of residents will relocate, with an estimated 110 million people fleeing. As many as 25,000 people have now fled to Sudan.
Nicole Kamanzi M.
