By Eddie Mekasha
TPLF, together with other radical ethnocentric groups, is widely viewed as responsible for introducing and aggressively implementing Ethiopia's tribal-based so-called federal system, built on highly controversial ethnic divisions. For generations, the people of Ethiopia lived together with relatively limited conflict despite their ethnic and linguistic diversity. However, this political demarcation based on ethnicity and language has fuelled and escalated existing tribal tensions to unprecedented levels, leading to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and the displacement of millions from their birthplaces.
While the current Prosperity Party government has promised revisions and corrections to some of the more extreme aspects of the system, and has attempted to address controversial issues such as the Wolkait question through legal and political processes ahead of the upcoming elections under the leadership of the National Election Board Chairperson, Her Excellency Melat Hailu, choosing armed confrontation instead of participating in elections with internationally credible observers is highly destructive and dangerous.
Particularly for the Amhara people, this ethnic-based federal arrangement has, in the view of many, functioned similarly to a system of racial segregation and exclusion. It has encouraged radical groups to carry out massacres and ethnic-cleansing campaigns comparable to those witnessed in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.
The recent war in northern Ethiopia was part of what many consider an expansionist attempt by TPLF to return to totalitarian rule after attacking the Northern Command from behind, even though the National Defense Forces had long protected the people of Tigray. The conflict involved horrific violence, including killings, rape, and attacks against women, children, seniors, and people with disabilities. Many believe this tragedy could have been prevented through genuine negotiations between the major political actors, including TPLF and OPDO, which have long competed for power.
During the war, the Amhara people endured immense suffering. In response, the patriotic armed movement known as Fano emerged to defend and seek the protection and emancipation of the Amhara people from invading forces. However, under what many consider an unfair peace agreement supported by Western powers, there was no meaningful Amhara representation in the Pretoria Agreement. Some critics argue that certain foreign governments have shown bias against the Amhara people because of their historic patriotic resistance to colonialism and neo-colonialism.
Meanwhile, TPLF was given time and opportunity to reorganize and strengthen itself. Today, it has openly acted in ways critics say contradict both Ethiopia's federal system and international norms. Under the Ethiopian constitutional framework, no regional authority is legally permitted to independently conduct foreign relations. Nevertheless, countries such as the United States and others have continued engaging with TPLF outside the framework of Ethiopia's federal government.
Therefore, many Ethiopians view attempts to politically restore or re-legitimize TPLF under the current federal structure as contrary to the rule of law and potentially dangerous. They fear such actions could bring further instability, renewed suffering for the people of Tigray, and additional negative consequences for the entire nation of Ethiopia.
Let everyone concerned about Ethiopia's future condemn calls for renewed conflict and support peaceful, lawful, and democratic solutions for Ethiopia and the stability of the entire East African region.
