[By Bereket Kiros]
Let me start by suggesting that we, Tegrawot, should be cautious about our future as a nation and people. We are living in “interesting times”, as the Chinese would say to describe a difficult period in history. Tigray teeters on the edge of a precipice, with deep gorges of disintegration on one side and fratricidal war for power on the other. Any party that blatantly violates the will of the people, such as the TPLF, cannot stay in power for long. The question that comes to mind for me is, what are we doing to address the lack of organization and the absence of clear direction that have characterized the TPLF leadership?
Tegrawot, we are in a race against time. If the TPLF endures for a generation, Tigray may very well cease to exist as a nation. We should reject the efforts of those half-baked Tegrawot who call themselves intellectuals and the TPLF’s supporters, as they have lost their souls and spiritual connection with the displaced people. Tigray has existed for thousands of years before the TPLF; we should not let the TPLF leaders create their own banana republic.
I caution against elevating a party like the TPLF to the status of national symbols, especially leaders who are controversial and polarizing, such as the current TPLF leadership. We are better off relying on our collective unity, based on an objective strategy to protect our national interests on great ethical values like “courage”, “patriotism”, “sacrifice”, “truth”, etc., rather than on historic figures who may not be acceptable to most of us. Such individuals may indeed have too many skeletons buried in their history.
I am troubled by the events I saw on social media involving Meseret Haddihs’ detractor. I have read discussions about a series of excellent articles written by the dissenters and supporters of the TPLF. There are many questions to consider, and the attempt to blackmail individuals who do not subscribe to the TPLF authorities’ shifting political stance has prompted me to write about the insidious, relentless war against people who have fought to expose genocide and sexual violence.
Under the worst scenario, if the TPLF regains complete political control under the guise of unity, with token cadre-based representations, the very structure they condemn in the current Abiy government, we are heading toward a bitter fragmentation of the nation. Let us see how well they will survive in their fortress in Mekelle, because we have suffered for a century due to the TPLF’s corrupt, oppressive, cliquish, and exclusive privilege based on loyalty and Aweraja.
The word genocide, however, came to carry such powerful meaning and connotations that labelling all types of mass killings as genocide, instead of, say, crimes against humanity, has become very common. In reality, crimes against humanity are as heinous, serious, and an affront to human conscience as genocide. Any argument that seeks to reduce the moral blame worthiness of individuals who commit crimes against humanity is unacceptable.
Generally, genocide does not mean the immediate destruction of a nation unless it involves the mass killing of all members. Instead, it more accurately describes a coordinated plan of actions aimed at eradicating the core elements of a group’s way of life, to wipe out the group itself. Such a plan typically aims to undermine political and social institutions, culture, language, national identity, religion, economic stability, and personal security, as well as liberty, health, dignity, and even the lives of individuals within the group. This has been submitted to the ICC despite attempts to downplay it by the current TPLF leadership, with their lifelong mentor, Isaias Afewerki. The attack on Meseret, along with her recognition for her work and demonstration in Mekelle, which the TPLF supporters coordinated, is an embarrassing event and erase the victims’ of rape and sexual violence committed by the Eritrean, Ethiopian and Amhara forces.
If the TPLF leaders are gullible enough to choose an alliance (Tsemedo ፅምዶ) with Shaebia and Fano to fulfil their own political interest by sidelining the victims of Tigray genocide, we are surely in great danger of losing justice and accountability. Rather, it is in the humanity of our actions and our relationship with other human beings where we find our actual capacity to do something good and honourable. Our human history is littered with atrocities by Menelik, the Derg, Properity Party and Shaebia. Let us not delude ourselves about the current unholy alliance of the TPLF, the Eritrean regime and Fano as a done deal, a finished case.
We, the Tegrawot, have reached a crossroads where we must make vital decisions about our future, the TPLF leaders, and our relationships with one another. There is no way we can return to the suffocating control of the TPLF after fighting our way out of their oppressive rule for fifty years. The most important thing for the TPLF is to kneel and ask the people of Tigray for forgiveness for all the crimes it committed against the country and open Tigray to a genuinely democracy and good governance.
The TPLF must accept accountability and responsibility for its failed leadership and the current polarization in Tigray, which is caused solely by their relentless pursuit of a narrow and destructive agenda to stay in power by any means. Despite the substantial expenditure of money and the loss of millions of lives, the Pretoria Peace Agreement has failed to bring peace and stability for the people of Tigray.
Mariam Gugusa Tehlwena!!!