Mekelle፡ 21 June 2024 (Tigray Herald)
Stop the Exploitation Now: Protect Tigray, Defend Our Future! Beyond Blood: Gold, Conflict, and Criminality in Post-Genocide Tigray A Call to Action Against the Criminal Gold Mining Syndicate Exploiting Tigray To the criminal syndicates and billionaires exploiting gold mining in Tigray, in collaboration with corrupt TPLF officials, politicians, and businessmen:
Your actions have not gone unnoticed. The Tigrayan community is acutely aware of the devastation you are bringing to our land, livelihoods, and environment. Your relentless greed and exploitation have crossed all bounds of humanity and decency. The heinous crimes you commit in pursuit of profit-displacing communities, contaminating drinking water, and ravaging pristine environments are intolerable. The use of hazardous chemicals like mercury and cyanide in gold mining is not just harmful; it is an atrocity against humanity and our environment.
The Tigrayan Struggle
The Tigrayan people have endured unimaginable suffering and loss during the genocide. Now, in the wake of such devastation, we are faced with another threat: the destruction of our land and health by the very individuals who should be protecting us. The TPLF-led government and its associates have shown their true colors, prioritizing profit over people and demonstrating complete disrespect for the sacrifices of our fallen heroes.
The Environmental and Health Crisis
The environmental impacts of gold mining in northwestern Tigray are already evident. Local communities are suffering from the effects of mercury and cyanide poisoning. This reckless disregard for human life and the environment is a crime against humanity. The health of our people is deteriorating, and our once-vibrant land is becoming a toxic wasteland.
A Stern Warning to the Exploiters
To the criminal gold mining exploiters: your actions will have dangerous consequences. The existential security of the entire Tigrayan population is at risk. The local communities, filled with deep resentment towards the TPLF leadership, will not stand idly by. If this exploitation does not stop immediately, the Tigrayan people, especially the youth, will organize and resist. Every mining area will become hostile territory for invaders.
Your political bankruptcy and moral decay have driven you to exploit a land and people already ravaged by war. The TPLF leadership’s disregard for the sacrifices of our martyrs is unforgivable, especially on the eve of honoring our war heroes.
Consequences of Continued Exploitation The local communities are prepared to fight back. Your continued exploitation will lead to
organized resistance, and the wrath of a united Tigrayan community will be unstoppable. We will protect our land, our livelihoods, and our future from those who seek to destroy it for profit.
Our Message to the TPLF Leadership
To the TPLF leadership: understand this clearly-your partnership with criminal exploiters
will not go unpunished. The Tigrayan people will hold you accountable for your actions. You
have betrayed our trust and desecrated the memory of our martyrs. Your actions are a stain
on our history and our future.
In Conclusion
The Tigrayan community will no longer tolerate the destructive and exploitative practices of
the gold mining syndicate. We demand immediate action to halt these atrocities and a
commitment to the restoration and protection of our land and people. The time for
accountability is now, and the consequences of inaction will be dire..
Stop the Exploitation Now: Protect Tigray, Defend Our Future!
