northeast and asia, lunar eclipse is occur when the earth shadow blocks the sun. there's partial eclipse went on for more than 3 hours and 28 minutes, making it the longest since the printing press was invented. in 1440, i was amazing images. yeah. ah. ah, i want to remind you of the main stories noun, poland is accused batteries of continued to help asylum seekers cross into you territory. despite the better russian authorities clearing a makeshift camp on the polish border on thursday, butler is officials say hundreds of moved voluntarily to reception center western border. the bellows remain essentially sailed off. thousands of people, including many children, have been stuck in freezing conditions at the border for days. this iteration are

good border or boris with poland. but also literary in your on the locker is deeply concerning. the lacrosse wrinkles regime use or formidable people as a means to put pressure on other countries or is cynical aren't in her main, made. those stands in full sort of out of it with all affected us. we remain vigilant. i'm storm ready to further help our allies. agirri has found that us teenager, co written house is not guilty of murdering to man and wounding another. we the jury find the defendant. kyle. kyle. each rate health not guilty. teenager opened fire with a semi automatic rifle during black lives matter pros, protesting commercial wisconsin. last year he pleaded not guilty and says he acted in self defense. austria has become the 1st country in western europe to re impose a full covered 19 lockdown. new measure started on monday, which will last for

a maximum of 20 days. austria is also making vaccinations, compulsory from february, many other european countries are imposing restrictions as cases rise. and you as president, jo biden's, $1.00 trillion dollar spending bill has passed the us house of representatives. spite an attempt to store the vote for hours by the chambers top republican build aimed at improving education, lowering health care costs, and tackling climate change. past 220 votes to 213 in our heads to the senate before it can be sign into law. republican house, minority leader kevin mccarthy spoke for a record 8 and a half hours on thursday night cataloguing a list of republican grievances. but as of the top stories up front is coming up next, ah,

it a year into a conflict between government forces integrated rebels. ethiopia has seen thousands of lives lost in nearly 2000000 people to sleep. and now as fighting intensifies a larger humanitarian crisis. loops, international, regional diplomats are working to contain the conflict and stave off the spectre of famine. but is there a way to avoid catastrophe? we'll hear from to graham people's liberation front advisor and former un ambassador to say her ascii dome a little later in the show. but 1st, we speak to silhouette casa, a spokesperson for ethiopian prime minister, avia, mid 70 so lemme would cost to thank you so much for joining me on up front. it's been now a year since this beginning of the conflict between your government and the to

grand people's liberation front the t p. a left the humanitarian situation. the region continues to get worse. they are now 400000 ethiopians facing starvation at the moment. what is your government doing? what is ethiopian government doing to help them? well, as i have mentioned, that he palest, started this conflict last year in november, attacking and seizing the e t a pan northern command headquarters in to cry through this process in the past . so 4 or 5 months of thousands were also killed and hundreds of women have been great by this a terrorist group, militants said the t peer life and their supporters are at this moment. and it's an important point that you bring up this idea of sexual violence and many other atrocities that are happening in the region. but i want to just bring it back to the humanitarian question for a moment. and just to clarify,

i didn't say that the ticket at the tpl i've started, the war said that the, the conflict started between your government and the t p. a left a year ago. what the question is, but what is the ethiopian government doing to help the people who are suffering due to this humanitarian crisis, the 400000 ethiopians who are facing starvation. my question is, what is the government doing in response to that? well, the government is doing everything in its power to address that humanitarian crisis in all that, to grade the i'm hata and the off i regions of what mainly the t p elephant, their supporters. i've basically pretending that that, to great bridge and is that made victim of the federal system that they basically once cruelly dominates it. but yet their supporters and the malicious are the ones that you know attacking the original a states of amada and off i regions. and committee, very cruel crimes against humanity. so let me, let me just pause you just for a moment. i, again, i understand your position and we are we're,

we'll have plenty of time to sort of unpack, ah, your, your concerns in your critique of the t p. l f, but my question is really around the humanitarian response. and the reason why this question is so urgent to people is because last month or after the you in a cheap martin, griffith's called when your government to facilitate access to take away. the government response was to expel 7 top you in a humanitarian workers in the country. at the same time, the hundreds of thousands of ethiopians are desperate for food and medical supplies . i'd like to talk about again, not so much with the t p l f is doing, but what the, if your been government is doing to address the humanitarian issue of, of, of, of hunger, of famine, et cetera. but also how you respond to these criticisms that people are being literally pushed out who are providing the aid. well, for many months now of the ip in government has been facilitating every effort, including those efforts by the united nations, to gate foods and aid to those he meet, however,

that he pay less. the have led to the work lives of the world that said this efforts have been properly addressed. i can mention one number for you and here more than 1100 trucks have been that we are transporting food and aid to the to grad region. but more than 800 of them haven't been returned from tech. right? those trucks have been used after that, they were seized by this telescope and took right. they were used for military purposes. they were not traded back to their intended purposes. this is one thing that the federal government is trying to a project that the world should know that this terrorist group is using the agenda . alpha humanitarian aid to a project that the federal government doesn't care for its people. but the fact is to the opposite of that because the, the federal government has been trying to push whatever is needed for,

for that bad people integrate. and also for that people and i'm hot and off. i regents, most of the international community kind of neglects neglects that their region, a communities that have been displaced from their homes because of digression by the t p i left and i'm hotter and alfred and also need humanitarian assistance. that is what the federal government is trying to address at this point. but the ftp left is basically stopping the that the activities of the federal government to address those humanitarian needs. so in our, in those areas affected by the conflict. so i understand your position of the t p l f is the reason why aid is not getting to the people in the region who needed an outside agencies outside entities are saying something quite different. a 100 trucks a day are needed in aid, according to the united nations. ah, to, to get the ticket. i only about 10 percent about 10 trucks a day are actually getting there again. you and ha,

morton. griffith suggests that it's the ethiopian government that has not done what it needs to do to facilitate the process. in addition, it's not just you and officials this year. your government also ordered a 3 months suspension of the activities of the norwegian refugee council, and of a branch of doctors without borders. and just last week, 72, our truck i was working for the world food program were arrested by government forces. what do you say to that? well, that is one of the narratives that the t p life is trying to projects that, that the federal government is neglecting its people, which is the opposite. as i mentioned before, the terrorist scope is basically stopping the activities alpha. this is the, this is the united nations, this is doctors without borders. this is the norwegian refugee council. this is the world food program. but this isn't simply a t p, a left narrative. i mean is there, are you saying that all of this information is simply misinformation basically what

the t k left is doing as promoting aggression. arrived at the region as administration off. i'm hata and alpha digits, which are mainly their routes where the aid trucks can be passing through. so where their, the aggressions are going through that federal government is trying to, of promote and also facilitates the necessity and the needs of that people in to cry. and also i'm hata and our footage and but in that to great region mainly that the aggression from the t pay left has stopped almost all of that communication and own so the transportation off this age trucks because of this, that cheap enough has continued using that propaganda that they, it, federal government is using hunger. i've been to inflict in that to gray, a bridge and, and state but which is completely false at this narrative. i want to move on because according to amnesty international,

your government has already committed what could amount to war crimes. they published a report last august, detailing how soldiers and militia aligned with your government, or using sexual violence as a weapon of war and subject to women, to quote, rape, gang, rape, sexual slavery, sexual mutilation, and other forms of torture. how does the happen? i want to mention the same report that was brought up by amnesty international of probably last week that says that gang raped was also being used by the t p. i left of soldiers and malicious around and foss. much i bet is one very simple and very narrow example that we can mention here that more than 100 women where gone great to buy the t pay less for soldiers and militias. they were also subject to in human acts and also where a subject to very heinous crimes by this at telescope. but i'm talking about the

actions at this moment of the ethiopian government. we keep pivoting to the tpl f. i'd like you to talk about how these types of alleged sex crimes happen committed by the ethiopian government based on this amnesty international point, not the tpl of how does this happen from the perspective of the ethiopian government? what basically they took and company government is committed to ensure that all perpetrators of the serious crimes will be brought to justice, which is also being undertaken by the national courts here. a basically that the seriousness of the government is demonstrated because we have allowed the united nation commission for human rights to conduct investigations on the actions of the day. if you have been a soldiers that you have been national defense force and also that human rights commission was part of this project that joint project and investigation, acknowledging the wrong doings or of some e n d f. the members of the government that has already been undertaken and there

have been a the government has taken the initiative to undertake this a small group of small members of they have been national defense force members to that justice system that we have already in the country. so that is one thing that the government has done, acknowledging the wrong banks and also taking action accordingly. the numbers seemed quite low, though i mean prime minister abbey, amid to your point, said in march that any soldier responsible for raping our women in looting communities in the region will be held accountable, numerous in jails. numerous observers have documented the systematic use of rape as a weapon of war into good i. and yet they have been only slightly over a dozen soldiers actually convicted if the government is really committed to this. and we've seen, you know, dozens of interviews, just amnesty international alone, interviewed a 63 survivors of raping other sexual violence. so if there's such a wide scale, systematic use use of rape as war. why are we only seeing

a dozen soldiers convicted? i mean, it's hard to believe that the government is taking this type of violence seriously, by the way, the international community, and also the international media basically forgets that at this point the a t p left harris group is actively attacking those neighboring regions of am. hara and i'll fire regions because of that millions have been displaced. thousands of people have been killed and hundreds and more than hundreds of people. more than hundreds of women have been raped, gang raped by this terrorist scope, malicious data, national community. and the media by itself keeps for getting back to this at tier to scope is now attacking village groups that if your pin national defense force hasn't been in that tig, right, there is no war intakes i'm would have to push back. so i'm gonna have to push back on that just last week, amnesty international, publish

a similar accusations of sexual violence against the t p. a left. so they're not ignoring this. this isn't a biased report. they're saying that this is happening on both sides. and again, i intend to ask his same questions that t b 11 represent representatives. what i was asking about about about the adobe in government. and again, there seems to be a hard a sharp pivot toward the teepee left. whenever the ethiopian government is subjected to scrutiny here, but i guess i'll have to move on up. both parties are coming under increased pressure from the international community to sit down to negotiate and to come up with a peaceful solution to this conflict. the african unions envoy, olu shackleton obasanjo was in the country last mother this month. in fact, with canyon president rural kenyatta. do you agree with them that the only way for it is to dialogue in that's how we'll get into these hostilities? well that basically that t k less is designated a terrorist group by the household. people were present at tips that speak to the

whole country on behalf of the tippin people. so any such move, 1st of all, will have to be dependent on the will and the voice of the people through the house of people representatives that's taking that into consideration, that open government has been supporting dr. if it is of the special envoy, president obasanjo, and it's a quest for the truth and in its quest in his quest to find what is going on on the ground from old sex. all said the conflict and a kick in government will basically continue supporting this piece process. by the way, this is special envoy, so lemme would cost to thank you so much for joining me on upfront. ah, barry the enemy, that's what you'll be in prime minister abbey amid said recently from the country's military headquarters in addis ababa. the enemy,

he's talking about is the t p. a left the to grind people's liberation front, the political party that govern the country for decades before abbey was elected prime minister in 2018. you for the government's perspective. well, joining me now to share the view from the other side is to say her, asked adam, an advisor to the regional state government of to grey and former ambassador to the you in for say her, ask it on. thank you so much for joining me on up front. a year ago. you said the 10th grade people want to live in peace as equals with the rest of ethiopians. no more, no less than yet. the t p. a left in partnership with the coalition of anti government groups is making in advance toward iso barbara the capital. how could that possibly be considered a pursuit of peace among equals? thank you for having me. ah, again, as you've said, it has been a year and a couple of weeks since sir abbey ahem had declared genocide or on the people off to cry. and what i said,

turn the remains the same. the truth that is to get i is under a complete city right now. people are dying. there is no power. there is no telephone van king. there is a continuation of the war, sort of starvation of the 7 minute people into her eye. and we have no other choice, but to go forward and break the siege. we have the no other algeria military. this again, we want to to break. so lucy, seek and peace, and bring peace to our people. we wanted to monitor an age. we wanted to talk to either each hook, ernest who went to lives. it was peace like we do, therefore, the, the advancement of the ticket i forces toward this at this hour is nothing more, nothing less than to break the siege. and to bring about change. the security and

safety of the to can i people but, but this advancement right now has caused a great great amount of human lives. i mean, in august, you an aid chief morton. griffith said that more than 250000 had been displaced in the am, hara and of our regions. or more recently the government is said that numbers closer to a 1000000. there's a huge human cost. is it worth it? it is what is it? no human life is was her anything, but it is oars as far as the people of to go our concern, we have no other choice. we are left her blocked her. the wallet has forgotten us. genocide has been committed against our people. children are dying. you are asking me if the people of ticket i should be sitting there and condemned to days. we wanted to shorten the suffrage. we don't want the people over. aha,

far to go through what we have ones who for the 2 for the last one, humans would say that this was placement is happening in am harder in a far that you're referencing. that's c p a less as responsibility. no it is. it is, it is a washer. the ticket i have, horses are engaging in, had posted of what the 80 to appear nationally. foreign forces are doing to them. they are protecting themselves. do we have good people are suffering because of this war? it goes without saying, but the solution is not there to condemn the ticket people and to stop the to grounds. it is for the central government to make to come to each sense. and either it would be defeated militarily or it house no. to negotiate. and to have to come to some kind of the transitional arrangement. recently, the t p 118 other anti government groups, and now the formation of the united front of ethiopian federalist. and can federalist forces. one member of the allied group said the next step will be to

organize ourselves and totally dismantle the existing government, either by force or negotiation. is that an accurate assessment of your objective? that is, let me say, let, let me clarify. the united front has, ah, ah, short term, and a medium and long term agenda. in the short term, this 9 ottoman groups that are wooden war again, is the central government at one lever or another. wanted to coordinate amongst themselves or no joint command, militarily capacity in, in every aspect of it to shortens us genocidal war or pressure the government to come to negotiating table and have sunk a transitional arrangement. if he refuses, it will be defeated militarily, but the political solution remains the same. this is the shorter term in the

following, the demise of this government in our d'silva. we wanted to call up on all other us army, not armed. the stakeholders in utopia compton negotiating table all inclusive. and then we'll see what kind of transition or arrangement to we'll have. one way of the other. the auction is that abby hammered of our limited let's move on to talk a bit about the humanitarian crisis in the region. there are famine like conditions right now that a sweat, the to gray region. in fact, it is the worst of starvation crisis in the world. according to the united nations, are estimates from various internationally groups and the u. s. government say anywhere from roughly half to 1000000 people are facing starvation right now. but is a military advancement going to stop the famine? as you right lose heard to get i is in our facing a starvation and her sadly establishing is used as

a weapon of war. the saddest thing is that is suit madison in fuel just few kilometers across the border from to grey that abbey hammered has denied us to you to, to, to bring it to the people. the international community have a st enough medicine fuel and he has denied us. he has blocked us. yes, we have been dying for madison now. and the only way we can come out of the city is to break the siege and bring him out it around aid from the international community . but sir, that the criticisms about blocking or denying access to necessary aid arts is directed at the ethiopian government. the united states agency for international development has accused the t p. a left of looting, humanitarian aid warehouses, trucks, particularly in the m ha to region. how can you justify this with hundreds of thousands of people in it? you'll be right now are desperate for food who are in desperate need of medical

supplies. how can you justify the the brocade of humanitarian aid, from djibouti to ticket? i squarely, squarely stops of the gates of abbey. i'm it. he has a stopped anything going to took away because he wanted to start of the people, even that ticket i army or the doing what you are allegedly said they are looting. the international community has to go there. we are willing to accept united nation personnel to that place is where we are out. him is sitting right now where we're talking right now. and all food and services should be delivered to all the people that are in need. what am thinking, what are you? good, 9 reports that members of the t p left have been looting trucks. i mean sean jones, ahead of the u. s. aid mission and ethiopia said, specifically, we know for a fact that the t p a left every town they've gone into, they looted the warehouses, they've looted trucks. they caused a great deal of destruction in all the villages that they have visited. my question

is less about the fuel being government and more about the t p a left is a t p, a left also involved in the looting. and if so, why, how can it be justified? i am, i am not denying norama admitting because there is no verification of to the allegation of the years for the printer to but you also have to to you also have to remember the head of the user id have fade ib hammered, has completely cut off to gray and he's using foot other weapon. 7000000 people are blocked off to august does not make right. the international community, including the united nation, have said to that are, is completely cut off from international aid. and that is famine integrate. it is not, it's not rhetoric, people are dying. children are day in that has not been any tracks going to to that i seen as june, only 10 percent of the needed trucks as at 100 trucks are supposed to enter

to gray every day. abby am at has stopped us and our people are dying. this same operation should be gone to the to offer the allegations out there. what you have to do is send united nation personal to all these areas and via verifies them and deliver food to all victims. in our far in am hara, but also integrate recently earth. numerous women told amnesty international that they were raped by fighters and a t p. a left during the attack on the m harder region in august. but they describing rig gunpoint rob in subjected to physical and verbal assault. they said the fighters also destroyed and looted the towns, medical facilities. or what do you have to say about these reports? and i would like to get your take on these allegations are going the t p a left in particular this as you say, these are allegations and we have high respect for the communist international. and we wanted to, to see it verified, investigated by the united nations. and if any,

any one of our forces are found guilty of this, they will be accountable and they will be held accountable, but did not compare this and put it as if it is equal to what has happened in ticket. i, for 8 months, we're talking about every crime been human, the history has been committed, integrate, and i do respect the report of the amnesty international. and yet, what it has to be investigated in the reported if there are 15 victims of any violence by the ticket i forces one is too many there will be you know, held accountable. so her asked on thank you so much for joining me on up front. thank you so much for having me. all right, that's our show. a 3rd will be back next.

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that could effect any human assert master of chaos on al jazeera, we understand the differences and similarities of cultures across the world. so no matter how you take it will bring you the news and current affairs that matter to you. ah, hello, i'm marianne was in london a quick look at the main stories. now. poland is accused batteries of continuing to help asylum seekers cross into a new territory. despite the better russian authorities clearing a makeshift camp on the polish order on thursday. batteries, officials, a hundreds of people have moved voluntarily to a reception center. west and borders of bellows remain essentially sealed. thousands of people including women.