Ethiopia says TPLF burying soldiers in mass graves to falsely substantiate genocide claims

ADDIS ABABA – The government of Ethiopia has said that the rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) is collecting bodies of its soldiers killed during fighting with federal army in mass graves to falsely substantiate claims that the Ethiopian army has committed genocide in the northern Tigray region.

This comes after the Ethiopian Government Communications Service (GCS) said in a statement that the army command has instructed the federal forces in Amhara and Afar regions to standstill without proceeding to attack deep inside the Tigray region.

“The decision to temporarily halt the advance of our defense forces to Tigray came also at a time where, as always, TPLF is busy writing a fiction on Tigray massacre by collecting bodies of thousands of TPLF forces who lost their lives in Afar and Amhara fronts and preparing burials in mass graves in Tigray,” the Government Communication Service said in a statement.

The government said the genocide claim by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front was designed purposely for the group “to run away from accountability and accuse the Ethiopian government of committing genocide and put the blame on our forces.”

“Such a plan by TPLF is aimed at confusing the international community and demanding it to put pressure on the Ethiopian government on the basis of presenting fake genocide narratives,” the statement added.

While accusing unnamed “foreign accomplices” of standing in solidarity with the TPLF on the genocide claim, the government said federal forces have been ordered to cease further advance into Tigray region “in order not to fall into this ruthless ploy.”

“The Ethiopian government is well aware of the existence of foreign accomplices that echo the same unfounded calls demanding unjust intervention while the government has an obligation to protect the good name and faith it has on our forces,” it added.