[By Bereket Kiros]
Tigray is on the verge of a promising breakthrough, and together, its people can overcome today’s challenges. Though the current turmoil is difficult and the TPLF and its diaspora supporters may be better at rhetoric than at offering solutions, this need not be the end of a long struggle.
Instead, it could mark the start of a lasting, resilient solution to our current predicament. A lack of tolerance and open, inclusive, democratic debate has made it harder for progressive political, social, and economic ideas to take hold in Tigray. Many diaspora scholars in America and Europe have chosen silence rather than risk being labelled hateful by those who disagree with them.
The TPLF leadership’s conflicting messages and chauvinistic rhetoric have made its public discourse harder to follow for the people. This raises an important question: Can Tigray build a viable opposition that puts all Tigrayans’ interests first, or will it serve only a few disgruntled former TPLF officials? As we take these first steps towards democracy, we face difficult dilemmas when the violence was orchestrated by the TPLF leadership and its generals and claims innocent lives and undermines the people’s democratic rights. Such acts seem intended to intimidate the population and discourage free elections. Social media commentators, along with opportunists in Tigray and the diaspora, are speaking out strongly about the current political climate. Their efforts to resist change through rhetoric, which is harmful and misguided, raise serious questions about their credibility and trustworthiness. At the same time, the diaspora TPLF supporters’ campaign—often marked by a narrow Aweraja politics—is beginning to break through the barriers of fear and silence in Tigray and Ethiopia.
The TPLF provoked an unwanted war; thankfully, it seems to be over, and it is exiled in Eritrea. Many TPLF generals are surrendering. It was a short and decisive campaign. The Tigray Peace Force (TPF) and the Federal Forces will celebrate, while the loser faces soul-searching and dejection. The TPF must reinvent itself, perhaps by becoming a viable and permanent security force for the people of Tigray.
For Tigray and the democratic process, let’s hope the opposition parties reassess and set aside bitter and selfish feelings and work to establish a democratic system in Tigray post-TPLF. The people of Tigray should usher in a new era of democracy and peace, exercising their democratic rights through the ballot box. For the good of Tigray, the wounds caused by die-hard TPLF leadership and its loyalists must begin to heal through economic development and reconciliation processes.
The current election of local representatives has generated strong interest and support across Tigray. It is an important step towards building democracy and the rule of law. Those of us are pleased with the elections, which lead towards greater democracy and justice. Such gradual steps are the most logical way to proceed in Tigray. We welcome the elections as a step towards democracy, freedom and liberty from the tyranny of the TPLF’s authoritarian and repressive rule of the past 35 years.
Even though Tigray has never known democracy, we’re grateful to the TPF for taking a leading role in democracy and for serving and defending the people of Tigray as a beacon of hope. Tigray is undergoing the kind of transformation that many of us in the diaspora hope to see. It is encouraging to see these signs of new political life flourishing in Tigray.
For now, Tigray has avoided catastrophe, despite the TPLF political fiasco surrounding an uncoordinated, unholy alliance with Shaebia and Fano. However, the recent social media campaigns among the diaspora are reckless and do a grave disservice to the people of Tigray.
Some TPLF supporters in the diaspora may learn to move beyond bigotry, hate, narrow-mindedness, warmongering, and chauvinistic rhetoric of Awrajasim. Their actions are against the interest of the Tigrayan people. The people who approach these discussions with reason and common sense can work towards agreement grounded in progress and truth, rather than in the caustic claims, deception, and falsehoods put forward by extremists.
Under the Ethiopian criminal legal system, those advocating the overthrow of the government are considered to have committed a crime. The TPLF leadership declared the Pretoria Agreement null and void and a breach of the agreement signed and witnessed by the AU, EU, and the US government representatives. Addressing grievances through a legitimate legal system is the right approach. The use of violence to instill fear and undermine security and peace for the people must be addressed decisively.
The TPLF must stop terrorising people and lay its arms and seek a peaceful political process at the ballot box. The TPF and the Care-taker Administration must manage incidents and risks properly, take preventive actions, and uphold democratic principles and the rule of law to maintain sustainable peace and security.
Everyone must speak openly and thoughtfully about corruption in Tigray and within the diaspora. Many members of Tigrayan society have encountered corruption in some form during their lives. Leaders of every political organisation can be held accountable for ensuring full disclosures transparently in public interest.
Although some former ambassadors have taken a disappointing turn, many thoughtful men and women are sharing a deeper truth with the public that has eluded us for decades. The ongoing efforts by former ambassadors, who identify as representatives of the TPLF government and solicit donations in the name of Tigray relief, are deeply concerning and warrant scrutiny. Those figures served as consultants, government bureaucrats, and cadres and in some cases, used community centres as extensions of the TPLF’s numerous money-laundering schemes.
When those who could make a positive contribution stay silent, we all lose—including Tigray—and evil will undoubtedly triumph. We should also recognise that hate and violence could push the current situation to the brink. This is both a heartfelt plea and a call to action for everyone who loves Tigray: let us come together with humility to protect our people. May God give us the wisdom and strength to work for the interest of Tigray, not individual power. We must understand there is no country without people and there is no victory in getting even—especially now, when everything points towards forgiveness and reconciliation.
Our response and commitment will shape Tigray’s future. The kindness of spirit Tigrayans can show in times of crisis, along with a willingness to compromise, will prevail in the end. This is truly a test for Tigray democracy. The best we can hope for is to reconcile and compromise on our conflicting perspectives. The key challenges facing Tigray remain, despite our ideological differences and regional divides.
We must look forward to working through the complex challenges of building the national harmony and bridging the differences that threaten to keep us apart. The spirit of unity demonstrated during the genocidal war, when regional and political differences receded, is one we must preserve and carry forward. However, the recent developments have satisfied neither the resistance nor its allies in the diaspora. What could have become a meaningful democratic movement must instead guard against self-serving individual attempts to seize power by force. We have to be vigilant to safeguard our people’s peace and security from anti-democratic forces.