Ethiopian security officials guarantee a peaceful election, encourage people to go out and vote
borkena
Ethiopian Security authorities say a reliable security arrangement has been made for a peaceful election in the country.
Federal and regional level security authorities had an evaluative discussion regarding the security situation in the country.
Director of National Intelligence and Security Services, Temesgen Tiruneh, said during the event that the security apparatus at different levels have made the preparations needed to ensure that the sixth general election is peaceful.
It is scheduled to take place next Monday in most parts of the country. There are areas where the election will take place in early September, the National Electoral Board passed the decision last week, due to security and logistical reasons.
“There are external and internal enemies working to obstruct the election and the filling of [second filling] the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam…” Mr. Temesgen said without naming names.
Benishangul Gumuz region, where Ethiopia’s Mega dam project is located, has been experiencing violence for several months targeting ethnic Amhara farming communities who have been living in the region for ages.
The Federal and regional government authorities linked the security crisis in the region , which claimed hundreds of civilian lives and displaced hundreds of thousands of people, to groups operating in the region with external backing. Again, the government was not explicit as to who these external backers of the rebel groups are.
But there seem to be a public understanding that Egypt and lately Sudan have been supporting disruptive forces within Ethiopia. Sudan, a country who occupied Ethiopian territories in the North Western part of the country since early November 2020, claimed additional land including the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) site.
There were also security incidents outside of Benishangul Gumuz region that claimed lives. Hundreds, if not thousands, of civilians were killed in Oromia and Amhara region of Ethiopia.
The latest major security gap was seen in Ataye region of Ethiopia, where radical ethnic Oromo nationalists ( Oromo Liberation Front – Shane) invaded and destroyed several towns. The Federal government had to deploy members of the Ethiopian Defense Force to deal with the situation.
The security authorities do seem to have a positive assessment this time around. In a statement issued after the discussion on Monday, authorities encouraged Ethiopians to go out in large numbers and vote on June 21.
The National Electoral Board said on Friday that over 37.4 million eligible voters have registered across the country.
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