Ethiopians call on NZ Government to help resolve civil war

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Crowds of New Zealand-Ethiopians from the Tigray region descended on Parliament grounds on Thursday begging the New Zealand Government to help resolve an ongoing conflict in their homeland.

Temesgen Alem had not heard from any members of his family in three weeks and did not know if they were still alive. He said, It's really devastating. This is the worst time of our lives. We don’t know what’s happening, because we haven’t contacted our families. People are dying every single day. The is not a license to bomb your own people, What they are doing is like ethnic cleansing. They are trying to destroy our people in every way possible. We believe our people deserve peace. New Zealand needs to interfere and stop it before it gets worse. People have died for no reason.

All phone lines, Internet, and roads have been cut to the region, limiting information, but Abiy has claimed air raids have been carried out on Tigray military assets. Alem, the chairman of the Tigray Community NZ, said many people travelled from Auckland and Christchurch to attend the protest.

Protesters waved signs with messages including stop genocide in Tigray and Abiy Ahmed is a killer.

Fighting broke out in the area after a dispute between Tigray’s regional government, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, and the Ethiopian Government, led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize. Tigray has long fought to self-govern, despite the federal government’s desire for unity. Both sides declared war after Tigray held its own elections in September, defying Abiy government which postponed national polls due to Covid-19.

Alem called on the Government and its international allies to step in and use diplomatic measures to resolve the crisis.