BY ABEBE WOLDEGIORGIS
Recently the new US envoy to Horn Africa, Mike Hammer and EU envoy Annette Weber visited Ethiopia to hold talks including with TPLF leaders in Tigray. After their visit, they recommended that the government in Addis Ababa must provide services such as electric power, banking, telephone and unrestrained humanitarian aid.
TPLF on its part announced last week that key services should have to be reinstated in Tigray before coming together for the peace talks offering security guarantees for those who are assigned to work to restore the services.
The government of Ethiopia announced its resoluteness to end the conflict through peace full way. It also expressed that it will talk with TPLF without putting any pre condition. It is obvious that no party benefits from war. As a poor country, Ethiopia does not afford war and shoulder the burden that has come due to the outbreak of the war. Tigray is the inalienable part of Ethiopia and the government resolutely showed its concern to the well-being of the people of Tigray.
Even though provocative acts continued by TPLF yet, the government continued sending humanitarian assistance in land and by air to the people of Tigray. But evidence showed that instead of supplying the aid to the public, the officials there utilize the resource to support their war effort against the nation. The war propaganda both from here and abroad continued to ridicule the government’s peace effort and their subversive acts by fueling conflicts in many parts of the country. Similar to its past behavior, TPLF put preconditions to start the peace talks. Debrestion Gebremichael, the leader of the group, stated that to start the peace talk, firstly, the government must begin providing the above mentioned services to the region.
As it is well remembered, all the services were in place and the budget to the region was also allocated earlier to the outbreak of war. In addition, various projects financed by the federal government were going on. Budget subsidy also was allocated to the regional government similar to other regions. But as all knows, the budget and other resources allocated to Tigray were abused and TPLF used the resources to build its military capability. It recruited soldiers, feed them and trained, deposited fuel in hidden places to use for its offence. The group in one hand claims as if it is peace lover and on the other it is preparing for the fourth round of war by utilizing the youth as cannon fodder. Debretsion’s demand to get service from the federal government indicates his foolishness. No government in the world allocate budget to the warring group let its own people killed and infrastructure demolished. In the modern era internet and social media play pivotal role in orchestrating war and fueling ethnic violence. The banking service also can boost money laundering used for terrorist act; the electric power can also be used for preparing to the war day and night.
In the first hand all infrastructures used for telephone and internet, hydropower plants and other facilities were demolished by TPLF. Had it have a concern to its own people, it would have protected them instead of changing in to debacle.
Other TPLF officials here and supporters in the diaspora put as precondition the so called western Tigray and southern part to be reinstituted to the region before the negotiation begins. This also indicates that its unwillingness to uphold the negotiation in an open hurt.
In the first place, before 1991 while TPLF was waging guerilla war against the then Dergue regime no place was there known as “western Tigray”. It was known as Setit Humera and Wolkaite Tsegede under the administration of northern Gondar. The Raya areas in the southern Tigray also were under the administration of northern Wollo. History also tells that no Tigray ruler administered these areas since time immemorial. Some former TPLF officials also proved that the group annexed the Setit Humera areas by force in order to get an out let to the Sudan territory which served to smuggle weapon from abroad while it waged war against the Dergue.
TPLF legalized its annexation of these areas after it assumed power in Addis Ababa in 1991 by overthrowing the Derg regime. Even that time, it was not an elected government. No resident in the area was asked his/her will to be administered under the rule of Tigray regional government.
If we look the ethnic composition in the area there are various ethnic groups including Amhara, Tigre and others. Therefore, annexing the territory by disregarding the people will not bring peace or socio economic progress rather it remains a breeding ground for conflict.
While it was in power from 1991 to 2018, TPLF was known by its harsh and undemocratic rule. It failed to change its military victory over the Dergue regime in to peaceful victory through conducting free and fair election. It imposed ethnic based nominal federal system but did not bring any peace and stability in which the nation badly needed.
After 2018, when TPLF left for Tigray by abandoning its power tenure in the center, the former Somali Region President Abdile and the current BenishangulGumuz President Ashadle Hassan confirmed that they had no real power in the reign of TPLF. Currently, TPLF accused the federal government as if it violates the constitution which is introduced by the group itself. But the nominal power exercised by the regional governors clearly indicated that how TPLF was governing the country by disrespecting the constitution.
The constitution article 39 and sub article 3 clearly stipulates that any nation, nationality and people have the right to establish its own woreda, zone and region. But people residing in the mentioned areas of Amhara such as Wolkait Tsegede and Raya were not allowed to exercise their rights which are enshrined in the constitution while TPLF was in power. Even in the past the Wolkaite identity committee submitted its appeal to the House of Federation to exercise their right but no one gave a positive response to their plea. Therefore, we can conclude that there is still constitutional venue to resolve the problems occurred in the mentioned places which TPLF put the causes as precondition for negotiation.
The government since long ago has tried its level best to resolve the differences with TPLF through peaceful dialogue but because of the group’s preemptive measure two years ago against the Ethiopian army was dragged to war unwillingly.
After the defeat of the group that escalated its wage to the Northern Shewa last year, the government forces restrained themselves instead of entering Tigray and the government declared unilateral humanitarian cease fire for the sake of peace. This indicates that the government gave priority to peace. It is understood that when the war is broke out not only the combatants lost their life and face causalities but also civilians pay heavy price.
Displacement of people, looting and killing of animals and demolishing of infrastructure is unbearable to the poor country such as Ethiopia. According to the recent report of the Ministry of Education, more than 1,300 schools were changed in to debacle due to the war and millions of students partially interrupted their education.
Rehabilitating and maintaining educational infrastructure demolished by war is beyond the government’s financial capacity. Hence, the Ministry called for local and diaspora donors to stretch their hands to support the reconstruction efforts and it is estimated that more than 2 billion Dollars is needed to fully repair the damage. More than 5 million displaced people are living in camps in appalling condition both in Amhara and Afar regions. These all indicate that how the cost of war is expensive and peace is key instrument for attaining stability.
The government every time expressed its willingness to resolve the problem through dialogue accepting the proposal of the African Union for peaceful settlement of the conflict. It accommodated the peace reconciler former Nigerian President Olesegun Obasanjo and opened the avenue to go to Mekele by air transport. Other delegates both from the US and European Union were allowed to go to Mekele and to talk with the TPLF officials. These all showed how the government is committed for achieving long lasting solutions to the problem.
In contrary to these efforts, the group showed its ambivalent approach towards the peace efforts. It rejected the AU involvement in the peace process and requested the Kenyan President to host the negotiation. TPLF’s past behavior indicated that it made negotiation with its rival only to win and to use the negotiation to meet its unilateral objectives.
It has no a history of bringing solution through negotiation with its opponents unless it defeat it. During the 2005 election the opposition parties won significant number of sit in the parliament and at this juncture, TPLF did not show interest to share power with the opposition parties consequently when public resentment started it announced that to make negotiation to settle the problem but when the situation became calmed after weeks, instead of continuing the dialogue, it imprisoned all opposition party members and continued its brutal rule until it was forced to give up power in 2018. Therefore, to bring long lasting solution, there must be true negotiation and unless TPLF is disarmed, accepting its demand to provide services such as bank, internet and electric power will bring a disastrous consequence.
Editor’s Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald
The Ethiopian Herald 7 August 2022
