Abiy and Isaias’s futile attempt to isolate the Tigrai people and TPLF will lead to dead end

Tigrai Online, July 18, 2018

The Abiy administration and Isaias Afwerki’s attempt to isolate the people of Tigrai and the Tigrai state government is futile. Since he was elected by the EPRDF ruling part as a prime minister of Ethiopia, Dr. Abiy Ahmed has been rushing major domestic and foreign policy decisions haphazardly like there is no tomorrow. To the naïve and those who are eager to see some change in Ethiopia, the sweet talking prime minister’s speeches and policies might sound wholesome, but they are far from that.

Domestically Abiy Ahmed is doing everything he can to consolidate his grip in power by any means necessary including working directly and indirectly with many extremist groups. He is slowly undoing what was achieved in the past 27 years by the previous EPRDF governments and the Ethiopian people in general. If that is not enough he is trying to ignore or take full credit for the amazing work done before he came to power.

The Ethiopian new prime minister is directly or indirectly involved in the intensified campaign against Tigria people and the TPLF. He openly stated the TPLF and the people of Tigrai are not the same to attack both separately. All the TPLF fighters, 65 thousand who lost their lives, over hundred thousand disabled, and hundreds of thousands who came back alive didn’t come from the planet Mars they are the sons and daughters of the Tigrai people. There might be some Tigraians who don’t support the TPLF, but that does not mean they didn’t lose a family member in the bitter military struggle.

Dr. Abiy has never talked about the rights of nations and nationalities of Ethiopia since he became prime minister of Ethiopia, why? Is he trying to please those who are pulling his strings? He totally ignored the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, why? Does Egypt has something to do with it?

In foreign policy Dr. Abiy Ahmed Ali’s policies are more disastrous than his internal policies. Let’s see his policies and strategy towards Eritrea. Ethiopia and Eritrea were in a deadlock, because Ethiopia wanted a dialogue before demarcation and Eritrea wanted Ethiopian forces withdrawn from the border areas. For the past sixteen years former Prime Minister Meles and Hailemariam tried to make peace with Eritrea, but they were turned down repeatedly with the excuse of Ethiopian forces withdrawal.

Fast forward to 2018 Ethiopia decides to drop the precondition of dialogue and announces its acceptance of the Algiers in its entirety as a package, and then Isaias lost his last card. The question is why did Ethiopia stop insisting on a dialogue first all of the sudden when it has the upper hand militarily, economically and diplomatically? There are many answers for this question, first Egypt was getting worried by the day about GERD so it invested millions of dollars to destabilize Ethiopia. Isaias Afwerki was desperate because he was cornered by Ethiopia, Sudan and Djibouti so he becomes an Egyptian mercenary. The United States of America was getting frustrated because the TPLF/EPRDF government was getting closer to China and China was becoming more influential in Africa and USA wants to reassert its power in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, but TPLF was annoying them by not settling the conflict with Eritrea. What did Egyt, Isaias, and America have in common? TPLF and Abiy, so all the above governments worked jointly or separately to weaken the TPLF by implementing isolation and demonization policy. Now they are in the elimination phase by trying to separate the people of Tigrai and the TPLF and they are using Abiy as inside man to execute their plan.

Abiy and Isaias are working day and night to demoralize the people of Tigrai practically by sequestering them and at the same time trying to isolate TPLF from its people.

Abiy Ahmed has completely neglected the Tigrai and Afar people and their state governments in the ongoing peace talks with Eritrea, although the conflict areas are exclusively located in the two states only. Some people say the matter is between two state so only the two heads of states can address the issues related to the border. It is true if there is anything to be singed the two leaders would sign the documents, but the documents were signed over two decades ago by President Isaias Afwerki and Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

What is going on now is implementation of the Algiers agreement. There is not much to be done since both countries accepted the agreement and Isaias is willing to talk and stopped insisting on withdrawal even though all the disputed areas are under the Ethiopian army.  The next step is normalizing relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea, but there would not be any normalization without the full participation of the Tigrai and Afar governments and complete reconciliation process between the Tigrai, Afar and Eritrean people since those are the people who are directly affected by the conflict. After that there should be reconciliation between the people of Ethiopia and Eritrea in a national level, but what we are seeing unfolding is a sham to push a self serving agenda by Abiy Ahmed and Isaias Afwerki.

The people of Tigrai and their government will not be pushed around and they will push back with all their might stop this fake hoopla which has nothing to do about peace, reconciliation, love and forgiveness, but all about revenge and vindictiveness against the TPLF and by extension the people of Tigrai.

All the major highways connecting Eritrea and Ethiopia are in Tigrai state except the one in Bure, Afar state which is far away from major population areas. If there is no proper reconciliation between Tigrai and Eritrea the Tigrai state people and government could put a complete blockage in their state rendering the whole fake deal between Abiy and Isaias useless. We can’t speak on behalf of the Afar people, but it wouldn’t be so hard to assume their feeling is the same as the people of Tigrai.

The Tigria people just as their brothers and sisters across the border in the nation of Eritrea want peace and normalization and it is obvious peace would be greatly beneficial for both people, but they would not want their enemies to negotiate on their behalf. There is no one better than the Tigrai people suited to know what is best for the Tigrai people.

Rest assured once the border is fully demarcated the Isaias government will not go to war against Tigrai state to force open the gates and we are sure the Abiy government would not even think trying anything forceful to implement normalization between Ethiopia and Eritrea or it will be the beginning of the end. True peace can only come when those who are hungry for it are the main players. The drama playing in Addis Ababa and Asmara will only lead to a deadened because it is originating from ulterior motive.