Rebel commander expels Ethiopian army from Tigre

This week, the Tigris Security Forces (TDF), a coalition of anti-government rebels in the northern Ethiopian region, launched a surprise military offensive to regain control of the regional capital, McCauley. It was captured by the Ethiopian army Last November. The recapture of McClellan quickly and expeditiously withdrew the Ethiopian army, in the guise of the central government of Prime Minister Abi Ahmed in the wake of the unilateral ceasefire.

Reconstructions of what happened due to the absence of international journalists and viewers in Tigray and the disruption of all communications outside are incomplete and partial. For this reason, recent developments have been received with great surprise. Some expect the rebels, who were quickly defeated last November and were forced to take refuge in the mountains, to be forced to reorganize, launch a new military operation and retrieve McClellan: the Ethiopian, war-torn Ethiopians began to expel the rebels from the regional government.

“As the history of the last Ethiopian civil war is being written, the wars in June can be said to be one of the greatest victories of a rebel group in recent years.” WroteEconomist Commented on what happened.

One of the key characters in understanding the latest developments is General Dikrinya Sutkon Jepredency, who led the uprising. Jeffrey, 68, is the best military man in Ethiopia and one of the best military strategists of his generation throughout Africa. The history of Zebradency is very specific, and in some ways it is a sign of the complex relationships that have characterized the Tigris and other parts of the country for decades.

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in biology from Addis Ababa University, he joined the Typhoon People’s Liberation Front (DPLF) in 1976. Today the DPLF is the main political party in the Tigre region, leading the same last uprising, but only a small faction of a few hundred guerrillas who later sought to overthrow the Marxist regime of Mengistu Haile Mariam. Ethiopia until 1991. Already in the late eighties, He wrote However, analyst Alex de Wall said that the TPLF has become one of the most respected Tigrinya commanders in Zebrandensi, and includes more than 100,000 soldiers. In May 1991, the Jeffrey-led DPLF, in alliance with the Eritrean army, overthrew the Mengist regime and captured Addis Ababa.

Gepredenci set up a makeshift house in a guest house near the Hilton Hotel in the capital: “Then for the first time in 15 years, General Sutton slept in a bed with sheets,” Alex de Wall wrote.

In subsequent years, power in Ethiopia was held by the TPLF, which, despite protests and dissent from other ethnic groups in the country, outnumbered the LTTE but was less represented in national government (the LTTE made up 6% of the Ethiopian population). Gebredense was given the rank of general and given the task of rebuilding Ethiopia’s federal army. Even in the armed forces, as was the case with the government, the main offices were reserved for members of the Tigrinya tribe, who were able to develop enormous potential in the military, which was very effective in planning the recent uprising.

In the late 1990s, when Ethiopia waged war against Eritrea, Zebredenci proved to be an effective and efficient military strategist, but his proximity to the central government did not last long. In the course of the conflict, in fact, Gepredenci clashed with other Tigrinya military leaders about the strategy to be followed and with then-Prime Minister Mels Genavi. Chief of Staff, Chairman of the Cabinet. When the fight was over, Mells fired him. Gebredency began a civilian life, starting a liquor and horticulture business in the province of Raya in southern Tigre.

It was only after the election of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abi Ahmed since 2018 that he returned to engage in public affairs, unlike the heads of government before him, not Dikrinya: he is Oromo, one of the most marginalized ethnic groups in the country.

Kepredency said he was ready to cooperate with the new government because of his revenge against the Tigrinya leaders who ousted him, but this time it did not last long. When anti-government sentiment began to grow in the Tigre region, in parallel with the separatist demands of the region, Jeffrey McCauley returned; When the war between the Ethiopian federal army and the separatist forces of Tigrinya began last November, it set aside previous divisions and joined the rebels.

Jebredenci immediately placed Tigre in charge of security forces (including non-DPLF members) and accepted the central order: he failed to stop the first attack by the Ethiopian federal army, and with the help of the Eritrean, he and the other DDF guerrillas declared themselves refugees in the mountains. Missed the opportunity.

However, in mid-June, after spending four months in the Tigre Mountains under the leadership of Zebredenci and other rebel military leaders for training and reconstruction, the TDF managed to – unexpectedly – force the Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers to flee. Recapture McCauley. Details of how the rebels managed this type of operation have not yet been revealed, as the Abe government refuses to acknowledge defeat and provides an accurate and truthful explanation of the balance of power that exists in Tigray today. …

However, it is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. As New York Times, “Rebel forces seem to be a little hungry for a fight” and have shown that they are considering the possibility of launching a military operation in neighboring Eritrea, with the intention of anticipating any future attack by Eritrean forces in Tigray. The war could escalate further, adding to the brutal violence already being perpetrated by parties fighting civilians in recent months.