Mekelle፡ 11 August 2024 (Tigray Herald)
By Yerga Yaecobe
The way forwards “Comprehensive Strategic Plan for the Tigray Interim Government
Introduction The Tigray Interim Government (TIG) must embark on a transformative journey post-genocide to ensure stability, recovery, and prosperity for Tigray. A structured, well-planned approach is essential, with clear objectives and strategies that reflect the unique challenges and aspirations of the Tigrayan people. This plan must distinguish itself from the failed policies of the past, particularly those associated with Debretsion Gebremichael’s splinter group, and define a new path forward for Tigray that emphasizes unity and reconciliation within society.
- Distinguishing the Tigray Interim Government from the Debretsion Gebremichael Splinter Group The TIG must clearly differentiate itself from the Debretsion Gebremichael-led faction of the TPLF by focusing on:
Accountability: While Debretsion’s group is responsible for strategic, diplomatic, and military failures during and after the genocidal war, the TIG must hold itself accountable to the people, prioritizing transparency, reform, and the long-term security of Tigray.
Opposition to Corruption and Nepotism: Unlike the faction that perpetuates nepotism and favoritism, the TIG will implement a meritocratic governance model, ensuring that power and resources are distributed fairly.
Vision for Peace, Reconciliation, and Diplomacy: The TIG must adopt a proactive diplomatic approach that prioritizes international relations and guarantees, as well as national reconciliation efforts to heal divisions within Tigrayan society. This contrasts with Debretsion’s group’s opposition to reforms and the Pretoria Peace Agreement.
- Political, Security, and Reconciliation Strategies Post-Genocide
Diplomatic Strategy: The TIG should engage in robust diplomacy with neighboring states, regional powers, and the international community to secure Tigray’s interests. This includes:
International Guarantors: Engaging the United Nations, African Union, and key global powers like the EU and the US to ensure the protection of Tigray’s sovereignty and development.
Confederation or Independence: The TIG must present clear options for Tigray’s political status—whether confederation within Ethiopia or full independence—with public engagement to ensure transparency.
National Reconciliation: Launch an inclusive national dialogue that brings together all sectors of society, including religious leaders, elders, youth, and representatives from the Debretsion faction, to address past grievances and forge a collective path forward.
Security Strategy:
Security Force Restructuring: Build a professional and highly trained security force that can defend Tigray’s borders and guarantee internal security, eliminating any influence from splinter factions.
Anti-Insurgency Operations: Implement strategic operations to neutralize internal threats posed by extremist factions, while also engaging them in peace and reconciliation dialogues where appropriate.
Community Policing: Establish local community-based security initiatives to foster trust between citizens and the security apparatus, which is essential for long-term stability.
- Ideological, National, and Reconciliation Interests of Tigray
Tigrayan Self-Determination: Tigray’s right to self-governance and its strategic autonomy in decision-making must be paramount, but this should be balanced with efforts for societal reconciliation and healing from the trauma of genocide.
Protection of Cultural Heritage: The TIG should ensure the protection of Tigray’s ancient civilization, including its religious, cultural, and historical landmarks, as part of the broader strategy for national unity and identity restoration.
National Reconciliation: The TIG must promote forgiveness, understanding, and unity within Tigrayan society by supporting local and national reconciliation efforts. Programs should focus on reconciling divided communities, including those that supported different factions during the war.
- Economic Reform, Institutional Restructuring, and Reconciliation
Economic Diversification: The TIG should focus on diversifying Tigray’s economy beyond agriculture, promoting sectors like technology, manufacturing, and mining, while ensuring that economic policies address past inequalities and foster reconciliation.
Land Grabbing Policy Reform:
Anti-Exploitation Laws: Create strict laws to prevent foreign or domestic entities from exploiting Tigrayan land and resources. This includes banning or heavily regulating the sale of land to outsiders.
Land Redistribution and Reconciliation: Ensure fair redistribution of land to Tigrayan farmers and communities, while addressing grievances and disputes caused by past land policies that contributed to societal divisions.
Mining Exploitation Policy:
Resource Control: Establish laws that prevent external actors from exploiting Tigray’s mineral resources, ensuring that the benefits are reinvested in local communities and contribute to reconciliation.
Environmental Protection: Ensure mining practices are sustainable and don’t harm Tigray’s ecosystem, while also preventing corruption and cronyism in the mining sector.
- Political Inclusion, Decentralization of Power, and Reconciliation
Decentralization of Government:
District-Level Representation: Decentralize political power to the district level, allowing local governments to manage their own affairs and resources, fostering greater inclusion and reconciliation within regions that felt marginalized.
Zonal-Level Representation: Establish clear structures for political and economic representation at the zonal level, ensuring every zone has a voice in regional affairs, contributing to unity and peace.
Equitable Distribution of Resources: Implement policies to ensure resources are distributed fairly across Tigray’s districts, preventing any zone from being marginalized, addressing historical inequalities, and fostering reconciliation.
Inclusivity in Governance and Reconciliation: Promote political inclusiveness by ensuring every community and demographic, including women and youth, have representation in governance, while simultaneously launching reconciliation programs that build bridges across divided groups.
- Transfer of Power to the Younger Generation
Youth Leadership Programs: Encourage the active involvement of the younger generation in governance, offering leadership training and opportunities for them to assume key roles in Tigray’s future, with an emphasis on reconciliation and national unity.
Generational Shift in Politics: The TIG must facilitate a smooth transfer of political power from older leaders to the younger generation, ensuring continuity, fresh perspectives, and a commitment to reconciliation.
- Economic Development and Power Redistribution
Equal Economic Representation: Ensure that every Tigrayan has the opportunity to participate in and benefit from Tigray’s economic development, while ensuring that these efforts contribute to societal reconciliation.
- Political Strategy for Democracy, Reconciliation, and Tigray’s Future
Multi-Party Democracy: Ensure a multi-party democratic system that allows the people of Tigray to choose their representatives and hold leaders accountable. Political pluralism will serve as a platform for national dialogue and reconciliation.
Constitutional Reform: Update Tigray’s constitution to reflect new realities post-genocide, ensuring that the system is fair, transparent, and protects the rights of all Tigrayans, with a focus on fostering reconciliation.
- Engagement with the Ethiopian State under International Guarantors
Negotiated Settlement: The TIG must develop a clear strategy for engaging with the Ethiopian state, whether through confederation or moving toward independence, with international guarantors overseeing the process and ensuring reconciliation is a cornerstone of any agreement.
- Breaking from the Revolutionary Developmental State and Promoting Reconciliation
End of State Control: Move away from the Revolutionary Democratic Developmental State model that has led to favoritism, nepotism, and corruption.
Free-Market Reforms: Implement market-oriented economic policies that promote competition, entrepreneurship, and private-sector growth, which should be aligned with national reconciliation and inclusion efforts.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Strategic Policy Reform: The TIG must prioritize the creation of new policy documents that reflect the needs of post-genocide Tigray, focusing on decentralization, reconciliation, fair resource distribution, and transparent governance.
Public Engagement and Reconciliation: Ensure ongoing dialogue with the public, making clear the government’s objectives and ensuring that the people of Tigray have a voice in shaping their future, with reconciliation as a key pillar.
Accountability and Transparency: Promote a culture of transparency and accountability, with the government being held responsible by the people for its actions and policies, while fostering national reconciliation.
By adopting these strategies, the Tigray Interim Government can effectively lead the region into a period of recovery, peace, reconciliation, and prosperity’s, sastanabel development and security diplomacy strategys for Tigray.
