[By Alem Tesfay]
General Megbey Haile spoke about the rule of law at Aksum Tsion, highlighting Aksum’s historical significance as a hub of law and order. It was truly the core of a civilized empire. Dismissing the massacre of thousands of innocent civilians and priests, Megbey unashamedly declared to forge an alliance with the genocidal regime of Shaebia and Fano. It was a sad day; he dishonoured the people of Tigray, especially the residents of Axum, for standing in front of Mariam Tsion and spreading lies about the rule of law.
Yet, Megbey exploited the history of Aksum to advance his war rhetoric and evade responsibility for using stolen gold to enrich himself. He has been forcing farmers from their land in northwest Tigray to extract gold for his own gain, polluting and damaging the environment with harmful chemicals that kill animals and render the land unusable for farming for many generations. Megbey claimed he was a businessman before the genocidal war. While he may be a businessman, the property he purchased in Dubai in 2023 was funded with gold illegally mined in Tigray under his command in the North-West (see the letter below).
Numerous media have documented his gold mining activities. Megbey is a dishonest individual and a gold digger who has exploited the genocidal war to boost his personal wealth. To make matters worse for the starving people of Tigray, he has benefited the genocidal regimes of Eritrea and Ethiopia by selling his mined gold to Ethiopia’s central bank and smuggling it into Eritrea. Megbey and his fellow generals are exploiting and bleeding Tigray’s resources while the IDPs are starving to death.
Local residents have been protesting the exploration for gold mining under his command. However, Megbey has deployed his loyal TDF fighters to suppress the protestors in the Northwest, turning the genocidal conflict into a tool for his personal wealth. The people of Tigray need to understand that generals like Megbey are motivated solely by their pursuit of power and wealth, exploiting Tigray’s gold and minerals for their own benefit.
They do not appear to be struggling for Tigray’s survival. Megbey and his fellow generals, especially General Haileselassie, General Feseha, General Yohannes, and General Tadesse, are fighting to control Tigray’s resources and lands to benefit themselves and their allies by displacing the people of Shire, Enderta, and Raya.
General Megbey also stated that the TPLF, TIRA, and TDF generals made decisions during their Aksum meeting to strengthen the rule of law and to honour the benefits and land rights for TDF fighters. Within a few weeks, TDF fighters from various armies protested collectively.
Megbey and his fellow generals experienced shame as TDF fighters openly challenged them. Although they initially promised to restore the fighters’ benefits after these protests, their promises quickly faded. Instead, TIRA President Tadesse and his cabinet decided to allocate land to the key generals mentioned earlier, betraying the TDF fighters once again. This shows that these above core generals are fighting for their own interests, ignoring the demands of ordinary TDF fighters.
To end the human rights abuses and illegal exploitation of resources by Megbey and his fellow generals, Tigray needs a new visionary leader who respects the rule of law, uses mineral resources for the public benefit, and upholds the democratic rights of the people.