What is missing—and urgently required—is disciplined, collective execution across all Tigrayan institutions and networks.
[By Tekie Hagos]
Introduction: Agreement Without Execution
Tigray stands at a consequential juncture. The human toll of displacement, disrupted services, and unresolved territorial questions remains acute. Yet, the foundational priorities for immediate action—safe and dignified return of internally displaced persons (IDPs), accelerated humanitarian recovery, lawful protection of territorial integrity, and a unified, credible international advocacy voice—are broadly accepted across the political, civic, diaspora, faith, youth, and professional spheres.
What lags is not vision, but coordination. Fragmented initiatives, parallel messaging, and intra-group frictions have slowed tangible progress and eroded public confidence.
The Four Pillars of Shared Purpose
- IDP Return & Reintegration: Ensuring security, basic services, and psychosocial support.
- Humanitarian Relief & Recovery: Stabilizing food, health, education, water, and livelihood systems.
- Territorial Integrity (Peaceful & Legal): Pursuing resolution through lawful, diplomatic, and rights-based channels.
- Unified External Advocacy: Presenting coherent, evidence-based positions to regional, federal, and international actors.
These pillars constitute the minimum platform for collective credibility. They are not aspirational slogans; they are operational imperatives.
Coordination: The Missing Multiplier
Current delays stem less from ideological divergence than from dispersed effort and unaligned sequencing. Multiple actors address similar needs without shared frameworks for priority, measurement, or communication. The absence of synchronized liaison functions results in duplication, donor fatigue, and a diluted advocacy impact.
- A shift from personality-driven posture to structured collaboration is now critical.
- Stakeholder Responsibilities (Framework for Internal Adaptation)
- Political Leadership: Maintain message discipline, avoid public antagonism, and channel disagreements into structured, confidential resolution mechanisms.
Diaspora Associations
Consolidate resource mobilization; align funding decisions with the four pillars; publish basic transparency summaries.
Faith Institutions & Elders
Provide neutral convening space; reinforce moral legitimacy for unity and people-centered action. Youth, Scholars & Professionals: Supply data, monitoring tools, policy briefs, and digital advocacy with fact-based narratives.
Civic & Community Organizations
Implement localized relief, reintegration support, and feedback loops to inform a broader strategy. Each sector retains autonomy while contributing to a coherent whole.
A Shared Narrative Architecture
Consistent repetition of a concise narrative strengthens external legitimacy and internal morale. Divergent public messaging, by contrast, signals disarray and weakens bargaining positions.
Measuring Credibility Through Outputs
Deliverables should now assess credibility—families rehoused, clinics supported, documented advocacy engagements, aid pipelines restored—rather than by volume of statements. Transparent, periodic reporting (even in summary form) builds donor confidence and community trust.
Conclusion: Urgency Without Excuses
The strategic risk is clear: prolonged inaction invites deeper humanitarian deterioration and further erosion of political leverage. The consensus platform exists; hesitation now carries moral and practical costs. Each organized Tigrayan entity must convert agreed-upon priorities into near-term, visible actions, within its mandate and capacity, while aligning with the shared framework. History will record whether this moment became a pivot to disciplined recovery or a case study in squandered alignment. The window for decisive coordination is narrowing.