Mekelle: 14 April 2024 (Tigray Herald)
IDPs from Southern Tigray rally in Mokhoni demanding repatriation
Over 10,000 IDPs held a demonstration in Mokhoni, demanding to return to their homes.
Most of the IDPs currently reside at Hayelom Araya Primary and Secondary School, repurposed into an IDP center after the War on Tigray.
The demonstrators, originating from the school housing over 2000 households, marched towards Kukufto and then Beri-Teklay, where elements of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces are stationed, to voice their concerns.
They urged the federal government to withdraw Amhara forces from constitutional Tigrian territory to facilitate their return to their hometowns.
Addressing the concerns, Colonel Messele of the ENDF appreciated the demonstrators for their peaceful manner and applauded them for standing in support of the constitution and the Pretoria peace agreement.
Haftu Kiros, Administrator for the Southern Zone of Tigray, stated that the Ethiopian Forces have the responsibility to maintain constitutional order and withdraw other non-ENDF forces from Tigray.
“You should act in accordance with the Pretoria agreement and the decisions made during the trilateral meeting last month,” he told the Ethiopian forces.
He also stated that during the meeting, it was decided that the federal government shall dismantle the Amhara’s unconstitutional administration in the occupied areas.
The IDPs underscored their desperation to go back home as they are suffering from a lack of food and medicine in the IDP center they shelter.
The majority of the IDPs were displaced from Alamata, a town located 176 kilometers from the capital Mekelle, in November 2020 during the onset of the war.
