“To have a rested mind is a state of ignorance. One must always find something that he can do to think and bring ideas which could be realized for what one is interested in, either for the entire society or for individuals.” Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
[TLM Editorial View]
70 Enderta Global Advocacy inspires and encourages others to advocate for millions of disadvantaged people in their region. It restores a sense of self-worth, motivation, hope, and purpose, empowering them through education and self-rule. All supporters of the Enderta Association who reside in the United States and the rest of the world must actively participate wholeheartedly in the difficult task of rebuilding the neglected region. 70 Enderta Global Advocacy is emerging as a passionate, inspirational role model for other organizations to uplift the destitute. Endertawot can no longer pretend not to notice and ignore the gross human rights violations and land grab by dubious means in Enderta and its region and continue their relationship with the TPLF as business as usual. This is what’s happening in Tigray this time.
Unless some drastic measures are taken, the land grabbing and dislocation of Endertawot will become ever more intractable and exact a horrifying toll in blood and massive economic dislocation. The continuing severity of these crises and their repercussions will depend on whether or not the TPLF leaders assume a realistic posture or a new leadership rises and commits to finding equitable solutions that can endure. The following brief opinion reflects what must be done to change the dynamics, solve the problem, and take decisive action.
Given the leadership crisis, the hour calls for new visionary and courageous leaders who recognize that Endertawot’s future security and prosperity still rest on the only viable option: restoring their integrity, settling in their land, and administering their region. TPLF and Endertawot must choose between endless violence and living in amity and peace. No city in Tigrai is partitioned like Enderta. It is divided into four parts, like a chicken, and is dislocated from the fertile land of over 650,000. It is denied access to their livelihood, economic source, and salt ownership in Arho. The Afar and Enderta lived in harmony for centuries, mingled and forged unity, until the TPLF’s suicidal policy in the area. What the Amhara expansionists failed to do during the Woyane revolt is being done by our traitors in the dismemberment of Enderta.
State ownership of land has led to the relocation of hundreds of thousands of Endertawot in recent decades to make way for investments, profiting foreign and local firms at the expense of farmers. There are two types of investment policies in Tigray. The first is to attract investors by providing free land and other inducements. Velocity, a garment factory in the Messobo area, and DBL in Quiha are prominent examples of such investments, which have triggered the removal of farmers for allegedly inadequate compensation. Victims have asked the regional administration to compensate them for the snatched land. But no one in authority is willing to listen to their grievances.
When all peaceful means are exhausted in this region, where tyrants and a small group of collaborators terrorize the people, Endertawot should unite to bring law and order and more peace. We have tremendous confidence in the judgement and common sense of the Endertawot to assert their human right to live in their ancestral land. This struggle is about pride, dignity, and respect that disproportionately impact Enderta and the surrounding people, and it is about renewed responsibility for themselves, their families, and their communities.
The erosion of Tigrai ‘s democratic culture should be a cause of great concern for our Enderta community. The current land grab tensions have created an unstable political environment. But we should not be silent in addressing the state to respect human rights and the rule of law to live in our ancestral land. Every Endertawot should support efforts to address the source of political and economic tension, such as the land issue, that undermines the peace. In Enderta, under TPLF leadership, economic growth is shrinking, unemployment is rising, and crime is growing. The state of Tigrai’s endowments has been fuelled by mismanagement and persistent corruption. The state must show more immediate progress on the political front; the current actions have further damaged the unity of Tigrayans. We, Endertawot, cannot be silent any longer.
Therefore, it’s in the Tegaru people’s best interest that Tigrai’s land is not allowed and should be considered a social product, saleable to the best bidder for absolute private ownership. Remember, owning land privately in absolute terms amounts to owning those whose lives depend on it. What our ancestors paid with their blood should not be lost in the name of production efficiency and investment incentive without compromising our whole livelihood. The TPLF leadership, to be sure, has made its bed. It has committed moral suicide. History will judge them harshly for their treason and betrayal, including all of those who have lived and died throughout our history to foster and protect our safety, integrity, and freedom.