𝗧𝘀𝗮𝗱𝗸𝗮𝗻’𝘀 𝘀𝗼-𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝘆𝗽𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘆.

Mekelle,Nairobi,Pretoria,London,March 11፡2025 (Tigray Herald)

𝗧𝘀𝗮𝗱𝗸𝗮𝗻’𝘀 𝘀𝗼-𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝘆𝗽𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘆.

By Lueul

Tsadkan Gebretensae’s article in The Africa Report, titled “Tigray cannot be the battleground for Ethiopia and Eritrea,” where he positions himself as some kind of advocate for peace and stability in the region. Honestly, it left me feeling frustrated.

On the surface, it sounds noble—who wouldn’t want peace? But when you look closer at his actions and what’s actually happening in Tigray, his words start to feel empty, like a polished mask hiding a much messier reality.

Let’s start with the fact that Tsadkan isn’t exactly the neutral elder statesman he’s trying to come across as. He’s deeply entangled in the messy internal politics of the TPLF and the Tigray interim administration. From what I’ve seen, he’s teamed up with Getachew Reda, and together they’ve created this factional divide that’s doing more harm than good.

Instead of bringing people together during this critical time after the war, it feels like he’s more focused on consolidating his own influence. It’s like watching a power struggle unfold while the region desperately needs unity. People in Tigray deserve better than leaders who seem more interested in winning political battles than delivering real solutions.

Then there’s the issue of what’s actually happening on the ground—like the occupation of Western Tigray and other areas by Amhara and Eritrean forces. Tsadkan talks a big game about sovereignty and peace, but where’s the action? As a senior figure in the interim administration, he’s in a position to do something—or at least push harder—but it feels like nothing meaningful has been done.

There are so many displaced Tigrayans living in awful conditions, and instead of tackling that head-on, it seems like Tsadkan and his allies are more comfortable holding press conferences or snapping photos with diplomats. It’s frustrating to see all this posturing while the real humanitarian crisis just keeps getting worse. People expected leadership, not just a bunch of staged appearances.

What bothers me even more is how selective Tsadkan is with his blame. In his article, he zeros in on Eritrea, painting them as the big bad wolf destabilizing the region. Sure, Eritrea has played a role—no one’s denying that—but it’s not like they just showed up out of nowhere.

They were invited into the war by Abiy Ahmed and his government as part of a coordinated campaign against Tigray. So why isn’t Tsadkan calling that out more directly? And then there’s this claim he makes about “Tigrayans who want to protect themselves from accountability for their past and present crimes would rather side with Eritrea.”

Honestly, that struck me as a cheap shot. He doesn’t provide any evidence to back it up, and it just feels like the same tired arguments people have always thrown at the TPLF to attack them. It’s strange to me that he barely mentions the Ethiopian federal government’s role in all this, especially when they’ve been the ones driving so much of the conflict and displacement. It almost feels like he’s deflecting, using Eritrea as a convenient scapegoat while giving Abiy’s regime a pass.

That doesn’t sit right with me, especially when you consider how the Ethiopian government keeps pushing this aggressive rhetoric about “deserving a port,” which is just a fancy way of saying they’re eyeing territory that isn’t Ethiopia. That kind of ambition is dangerous for the whole region, and Tsadkan’s silence on it feels like a missed opportunity to hold the real culprits accountable.

At the end of the day, though, I think the biggest issue in Tigray isn’t just these external threats—it’s the leadership vacuum inside the region itself. Tsadkan and his allies seem so caught up in their own power games that they’re letting the most urgent problems slide. People are asking for accountability, for displaced families to be resettled, for some kind of plan to rebuild the economy. But those things keep getting pushed aside while factional battles take center stage. It’s disheartening to see, because Tigrayans deserve leaders who are actually focused on them, not just on winning the next round of political chess.

So when I read Tsadkan’s article, I couldn’t help but feel like it was more about deflection than solutions. He’s pointing fingers outward while ignoring his own role in how things have deteriorated—both politically and on the humanitarian front. I don’t think Tigray’s path to recovery is going to come from more of this. The region needs fresh voices, and leaders who can speak plainly, act decisively, and put the people first instead of getting bogged down in old power struggles or failed agendas. Real peace isn’t built on press conferences and blame games—it takes courage, unity, and a genuine commitment to accountability. That’s what I’d love to see, but I’m not sure Tsadkan’s the one to deliver it.

Opinion by Lueul. The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not represent TTi.