Thousands of people were seen demonstrating yesterday in Tigray’s capital of Mekelle. The video, which has gone viral in a short time, shows where prisoners of war protested a possible civil war that is only going to destroy Ethiopia and affect the Ethiopian people.
The protest was aimed at slamming any possible civil war in the country and to condemn war leaders Isaias Afwerki, the President of Eritrea, and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, a Somali independent journalist and human rights activist, called Bashir Hashi Yussuf said on Twitter.
Captured Ethiopian Soldiers Denounce the Tigray War
— Yonas Nigussie (@Yonigussie) November 21, 2021
BREAKING: Today, in a demonstration held just outside Mekelle, Ethiopian and #Eritrean prisoners of war condemned @AbiyAhmedAli and @PAfwerki for the death and destruction they brought upon the people of #Tigray and #Ethiopia. pic.twitter.com/rJql9LXMGu
The demonstration was a collaboration between Ethiopian National Defense Force and Eritrean defense forces, who call themselves prisoners of war. They raised their voices against the death and destruction that both the afore mentioned African leaders are causing in the country while fighting for power.
The President of European Institute for International Law Mahmoud Refaat has shared the viral video for prisoners of war and wrote: “This is merely a sample of crimes against humanity of illegitimate PM #AbiyAhmedAli of #Ethiopia, these thousands here are Prisoner of War on #Tigray.”
He further slammed giving the Ethiopian prime minister a Nobel Peace Prize over his human rights crimes against people in Tigray and the forced displacement of millions of Ethiopians not forgetting the famine caused due to the lack of humanitarian aid.
In a demonstration held today in #Mekelle, #Tigray, the Ethiopian & Eritrean prisoners of war captured by TDF condemn Dictator Afewerki & his friend Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia for causing death and destruction in #Ethiopia pic.twitter.com/lCW8YlRZKM
— Bashir Hashi Yussuf (@BashirHashiysf) November 21, 2021
The conflict in Ethiopia has started after current prime minister Abiy Ahmed postponed parliamentary elections last year citing COVID-19 pandemic and cut the funding of Tigray region. The decisions angered the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), who in turn tried to attack a federal military base in Tigray and tried to steal its weapons, the New York Times reported.
Later on, PM Ahmed announced an attack on Tigray region and its security forces causing massive famine, displacing over two million people and a forcing a sever lack of aid.
This is not a scene from #GameOfThrones.Those are #POWs soldiers from both the ethiopian, eritrean military in mekelle captured by #TDF, look how small numbers of TDF guarding them while our flag flying high, reminder that Courage beats abundance, Proud of our Military
— Esayas Afweorki (@EsuAfweorki) November 21, 2021
TDF 🇨🇳 💪 pic.twitter.com/sfSGHFURL4
According to sources, Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmad was once a part of the TPLF-dominated government. However, after he took power around 4 years ago, he aimed at weakening the TPLF rule in the Ethiopian government.