Primed for DEATH – Tigray Genocide: Survivor’s Story authored by Goitom Mekonen Gebrewahid. Professor Alex de Waal, Executive Director of World Peace Foundation, wrote the FOREWORD.
Have you heard of the Tigray Genocide? Most likely have not.
The besieged people in Tigray are cut off from the rest of the world and are therefore unlikely to see this. But to those who live elsewhere in Ethiopia, in Africa and in other parts of the world:
You may have heard global news outlets briefly mention the war that has been raging in Tigray for over two years. Most have referred to it as a “civil war,” a “conflict,” or the “northern Ethiopia war,” but have shied away from calling it what it is – Tigray Genocide.
Or, you may have come across or heard of the Tigrayan diaspora’s protests across the world and may have seen banners that read “Stop Tigray Genocide,” “Free Tigray,” “Ethiopia Stop Bombing Your People,” “Eritrea out of Tigray,” or “Tigray is Bleeding” in your city.
Or, you may have heard your country’s diplomats, politicians, or foreign relations offices expressing their “deep concern” about the war in Tigray and pressuring “all parties” to de-escalate it. You may have read how they’ve readily blamed the Tigrayan government and its defence forces for fighting for the survival of their people.
Or, you may have seen one or two news pieces mentioning the war in Tigray pop up on your browsers, if the algorithm happens to bestow rare favour on the people of Tigray.
Or, like all the silent genocidal wars taking place in various parts of the world, you may have heard nothing at all about what is happening in Tigray or Ethiopia.
But the war in Tigray is real and distinct from either a civil war or a law enforcement operation, as the Ethiopian government initially referred to it. It isn’t “hidden” or “unseen,” as some put it. It is the genocidal war that the world has chosen to ignore.
Since November 2020, this genocidal war has already resulted in the deaths of more than half a million civilians and decimated the entire region. With the complicity of the United States, the Ethiopian government is annihilating its own people, along with its ally Eritrea and supplied with cutting-edge lethal weapons such as drones from Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Israel, China, and Russia, just to name a few.
Both as a victim and survivor of this war, I devoted myself to writing “PRIMED FOR DEATH – Tigray Genocide: A Survivor’s Story,” detailing my personal experiences as Tigray and its people are forced to defend themselves from a catastrophic genocidal war.
My account is not a comprehensive assessment and exploration of the ongoing genocidal war. Rather, it is a collection of my personal experiences and observations of the events that have taken place from early November 2020 until the book’s release.
Six chapters and an appendix makeup “Primed for DEATH.”
Chapter One – My Personal Account of the Aksum Massacre: Axum’s bloodshed throughout the Hidar Tsion holiday in November 2020, and the inhumane acts of the Eritrean army.
Chapter Two – I’ve Lost a Piece of Me: The loss of my brother and the wounding of my sister.
Chapter Three – The Tale of Three Generations: My sister’s survival, the birth of my nephew, and the tale of three generations.
Chapter Four – 96 Hours in Prison: The second wave of Tigrayan mass arrests and my detention.
Chapter Five – City of Horror: Escaping a brutal regime’s mass arrest campaign.
Chapter Six – Love Before and During the War: The impact of war on personal and familial relationships.
Appendix: Tigray’s political survival and its strategic failures, reasons for this war, and role of Ethiopian institutions and the international community.
As the primary motivation for writing and publishing this book was bearing witness and catharsis, half of the proceeds from the book’s sales will be donated to three non-profit organisations: Tegaru Disaster Relief Fund (TDRF), a non-profit organisation devoted to assisting communities in Tigray with disaster relief and development; Stand With Tigray Inc (SWT), a grassroots movement with a mission to advocate for and support those affected by the Tigray Genocide as well as deliver virtual education for children in Tigray; and TigraiCodes, a Tigray-based start-up that teaches high school students computer science, coding, and basic life skills. Furthermore, after the corridor to Tigray is opened, I will continue helping preserve the story of this war for future generations. Thus, purchasing this book also aids my capacity to produce future written works and to return to Tigray.
We appreciate your support to our cause of raising awareness of the Tigray Genocide by buying this book. We deeply believe it is a just cause and thank you for being a part of it.
