Prime Minister's advisor Getachew Reda stated that the Tigray people have been held hostage by a small group of criminals. He made the remarks at a discussion forum held on the current situation in the Tigray region.
Getachew Reda told the forum that despite the Tigray people's strong work culture they remain excluded from national development benefits because of a small group of criminals. He condemned activities that hinder development in the region and said ensuring the region's existence should become a common agenda for all Ethiopians beyond political differences.
He noted that encouraging development works taking place in other parts of Ethiopia have long failed to reach Tigray. Sustainable peace in the region must be established first as the foundation for future development efforts he added.
Reda called on the media to treat peace and development in the region as a basic survival question rather than a luxury and to make it a shared agenda. He stressed that priority must be given to peace if development work in Tigray is to continue.
