Shabait.com (Asmara)
18 March 2008
Asmara — Six defecting Ethiopian soldiers who arrived in Eritrea recently disclosed that members of the TPLF regime's army are abandoning the regime in opposition of its massive round-up of members of the army and its racist policy. They stated that the dire situation in Ethiopia is escalating from bad to worse.
The defecting soldiers further indicated that at a time when the HIV/AIDS epidemic is gaining momentum in that country, especially in the towns of Mekele and Addis Ababa, many officials of the regime have already deposited 15 to 20 million dollars each in different foreign banks. Moreover, the soldiers noted that members of army have been banned from listening to the Eritrean radio Dimtsi Hafash, in particular, and other international media outlets, in general. They went on to say that the army is continuingly complaining as to why the regime is not complying with the EEBC ruling that awarded Badme to be sovereign Eritrean territory.
The Ethiopian soldiers who arrived here are Abdu Abamecha Abawaji, Abiot Tsega Buru, Abulu Angaso Hundesa - all three from the Oromo ethnic group - Gendela Kolalo Keshila from the Gonsa ethnic group, Adnew Takele Gobona from the Amhara ethnic group, and Kasahun Tora Koira from the Wolaita ethnic group.
They also disclosed that a number of soldiers are in detention in Mekele, Shire-Endasilassie and the Hurso centers, and that the number of deaths is increasing from time to time. The defecting soldiers also pointed out that there exists tension and distrust among members of the army as a result of the regime's racist policy.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Shabait.com. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
