[TLM Editorial Viewpoint]
Tigray faces many challenges, and we, Tigrayans, must address them by establishing a system that prioritizes the most urgent issues first, i.e., Tigray’s interests, freedom, good governance and democracy. These must come first to unite us in defending our survival as people. Therefore, the current Tigray leadership must adopt an all-inclusive transitional government involving all political parties, intellectuals, civil societies, and community and religious leaders.
The less confrontational approach is essential to keep our unity. The use of force must be abandoned. Instead, round-the-table dialogue must be adopted to reach amicable compromises in the interests of Tigray. The escalation of provocative Shaebia-TPLF-Fano alliance (ፅምዶ) media mercenaries’ propaganda attacks must also be stopped, which is eroding the unity of Tigrayans and endangering the survival of Tigray. We, Tigrayans, must remember that the Eritrean and Ethiopian governments, alongside their allied Amhara forces, committed genocide against the people of Tigray, for which none of them acknowledged their atrocity crimes.
The real problem in Tigray is the lack of visionary, courageous and nationalist leadership, along with a persistent failure of power struggle. The TPLF’s leadership appears to be plagued by internal divisions and corruption that are often hostile and destructive to one another, its authoritarian political system, and its human rights violations against the people who demand justice, accountability, freedom, and democracy.
The current situation in Tigray shows the people being held hostage by a ruthless and mafia-like group who have caused great pain and suffering for innocent people for over fifty years. They control Tigray’s resources and possess substantial financial reserves, weapons, and an organizational structure that resists good governance, the rule of law, and democracy. However, their main weakness is that the people of Tigray despise and reject them by demanding freedom, liberty, justice, and accountability.
The situation in Tigray remains very tense and alarming due to human rights abuses, killings, destruction of people’s democratic rights, and heated conflicts. It is clear that General Taddese Werede and Abiy face many challenges and existential threats, including those from their own groups. Both are dealing with external and internal issues that they can’t address by any measure. There is no opportunity to retreat or take time to regroup, which hampers efforts to lead Tigray out of the current crisis. Unfortunately, some of these crises resulted from their own misjudged decision-making to build alliances with Eritrea, which could not abandon their destabilisation policy of inciting conflicts and hatreds.
The Eritrean and Ethiopian governments, who committed genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes, and crimes against humanity during 2020-2022 and have not been prosecuted yet by the International Criminal Court (ICC), continue their mission to destabilize and terrorize the people of Tigray. Aside from their dictatorial and disastrous domestic policies, the Eritrean government is sponsoring and/or directly involving its military forces in the internal affairs of Tigray to prevent the Abiy government from waging war against Eritrea to take control of the Asseb port.
The Eritrean government has clearly demonstrated that it has neither adhered to international law nor complied with international norms, rules and agreements since its inception of independence in 1993. The series of events and their connections with the international community do not suggest a stable functioning state. Either the Eritrean government has completely misunderstood what it means for an independent and sovereign state to stand on its own and how to act according to diplomatic norms with finesse, or it is still trapped in its jungle law.
The Eritrean government’s (Shaebia’s) obsession with TPLF is neither new nor surprising. It is obsessed with Tigray and Tegrawot as enemies to distract from its internal problems and to keep control with an authoritarian grip, without implementing democratic reforms, a constitution, elections, or a free press.
Tigray lacks a responsible and accountable leadership to negotiate with the federal government of Ethiopia in the implementation of the Pretoria peace agreement. The task is becoming even more difficult over time for Tigray because the Eritrean government’s credibility for peace and good neighborliness that lacks the basic elements of statesmanship and the expected behavior of nations. Lasting peace agreements must be made with dependable and responsible Eritrean and Tigrayan leaderships to ensure peace and cooperation between the two peoples, not for short-term political interest gains to stay in power in the name of alliance (ፅምዶ).
Renegade generals are establishing police forces and special defence volunteer units for their own safety by neglecting the people of Tigray’s safety. TLM Editorial fully supports the people of Tigray in defending themselves and in seizing control of their political power and democratic rights that are being abused and corrupted by the subversive leadership of the TPLF and the core-and-above-core generals.
The reality is that a lack of openness makes it easier for the subversive TPLF leadership to criminally engage in prolonging the suffering of the people, particularly the IDPs, using them for its political struggle to stay in power. The protest of TDF fighters in the last few days is shaking the foundation of the TPLF dynasty. The core-and-above-core generals have been scrambling to contain the mass protests of the TDF fighters from various army divisions, but the TDF fighters are not bowing to the generals’ talks to end their protests.
It seems likely that the TDF fighters are determined to stand for their people to free them from the TPLF’s authoritarian rule and human rights abuses and establish an all-inclusive transitional government in Tigray. This is the only way forward to guarantee Tigray’s unity and survival that can end the TPLF’s repressive ideology and defeat the genocidal regimes of Eritrea and Ethiopia. At last, justice and accountability will prevail in Tigray.