Addis Ababa, December 21, 2021 (Walta) – In a weekly press briefing, the Press Secretariat of the Office of the Prime Minister, Billene Seyoum recalled that on December 17, and 18th Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed together with his delegation traveled to Istanbul, Turkey to attend the third Turkey Africa Partnership Summit.
On the sidelines of the summit Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed also met with President Erdogan of the Republic of Turkey in which both discuss the continuing strengthening of relations between Ethiopia and Turkey.
“As you may recall, in late August 2021, an official state visit had been undertaken, marking the 125th relations between the two countries the historic relations, and at this event in which cooperation agreements had also been signed,” Billene said.
During the summit, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed also underlined the multifaceted engagements between Turkey and African countries in the areas of agriculture, education trade.
Prime Minister Abiy also emphasized the opportunities that are available for further enhancing trade ties and investment in investments between Ethiopia and Turkey.
Regarding humanitarian operations, Billene noted that the National Disaster Risk Management Commission in Amhara region following the recent military activities against the TPLF, the government has distributed 1,316 quintals of food to Woldia, Kobo, and Mersa Woredas.
She said the government has also distributed close to 32,000 quintals of food to Efrata, Antsokia Gemza, Shewarobit, and Menz Gera Woredas in North Shewa Zone.
More than 9,000 quintals of food have also been dispatched to Bati, Artuma Fursi, Jille Timuga, and Dewe Harewa Woredas of the Oromo Community Administration Zone of the Amhara Region.
She also added that 22,000 quintals of different kinds of food supplies have been dispatched to Gahena, Lalibela, Wadla, and Delanta Woredas in the region.
We have indicated before that the needs have also been increasing in Afar and Amhara Regions. Particularly in the Afar region, more than 1.3 million people have been identified as a need of emergency or immediate emergency response, and close to 400,000 had been displaced as a result of TPLF’s incursions within 21 Woredas in the region.
A total of 225 trucks have recently arrived in the Tigray region with humanitarian supplies that have arrived into Mekelle and a total of around 9,300 metric tons of food and non-food items have been delivered.
As we have seen in recent weeks, the National Defense forces together with allied forces from the Afar and Amhara regions have made considerable gains in reversing the occupation by TPLF of many Amhara and afar towns.
These gains have been made in very heavy battles that have been undertaken over the past weeks, the most recent being the full clearing of TPLF from North Wollo Zone and liberating its strategic capital Woldia.
The aftermath of the TPLF occupation has unfortunately revealed tremendous destruction of public and private infrastructure.
But after control of the towns by the National Forces assessments have revealed that the looting and destruction by destruction by TPLF includes heavy destruction of health infrastructures in all areas occupied by TPLF.
So it seems quite targeted that they’re going for health infrastructures, and creating an environment in which the Amhara and Afar regions do not have the capacity to be able to treat the health needs of their communities.
The Press Secretariat said that the second area of attacks of TPLF have been education institutions, particularly Wollo University has sustained a lot of damages, so which will take a lot of budgetary support, as well as a lot of time to reinstate the teaching capabilities.
Other sites that have also been attacked by TPLF include religious institutions and cultural centers, Billene indicated.
Kombolcha as an industry hub has also been rendered inoperable or the industry Center at this point in time, and this has witnessed the thorough theft and destruction by TPLF of industry sites including within the industry park as well as other factories as well in In that town,
Another point of attack targeted attacks has been the destruction of public documents in financial and legal institutions, she added.
As we have also witnessed in liberated areas, communities that had been displaced due to TPLF violence are slowly starting to return back to their locals.
And there are multifaceted efforts that are being made and mobilized to reinstate them back fully into these communities, and for rehabilitation and rebuilding work to commence, she added.
(Source – FBC)