Mekelle፡Telaviv, Nairobi, Pretoria, London, (Tigray Herald)
Open Letter to Tadesse Werede, President of the Tigray Interim Administration
Subject: Grave Reproach Regarding the Path and Legitimacy of Your Governance
Your Excellency,As members of the Progressive Tigrayans Solidarity (PTS), we write to express our profound concern regardingboth the process through which you assumed leadership and the troubling path your administration has takensince.
While your rise to power via unconstitutional means stands as a serious violation of lawful governance, weinitially withheld judgment out of respect for the suffering of the Tigrayan people and the hope that you mightuse your position responsiblyto alleviate their plight.
Our cautious optimism was grounded in the expectation that you would honor the commitments made under theeight-point agreement with the Federal Government and uphold the Pretoria Agreement in both letter and spirit.Regrettably, your actions—particularly the composition of your cabinet and the exclusionary posture of yourleadership—have demonstrated the opposite.
As an organization committed to justice, democracy, and peace, we feel compelled to outline the following central grievances:
1. Breach of Commitments and Violation of Public Trust:Your appointment of a cabinet dominated by members of the illegal TPLF faction,an entity under disciplinary proceedings and facing possible de-registration by the National Election Board,constitutes a direct betrayal of thetrust of the Tigrayan people and a flagrant violation of your signed commitments.
2. Resuscitation of a Discredited Regime and Political Order:The makeup of your administration signals allegiance to a faction historically associated with oppression,corruption, and grave crimes, includingongoingillegal resource exploitation and human trafficking. This group,long discredited by the people of Tigray, has neither the legitimacynor the willto lead their recovery.
3. Disregard for Democratic Process and the Sovereign Will of the People:Your cabinet appointments reflect neither transparency nor inclusivity, but instead appear to be dictated by theillegal TPLF office without genuine publicconsultation. This process undermines democratic accountability anddisregards the will of the people.
4. Subversion of Constitutional Order and International Agreements:By sidelining legitimate processes and empowering an unlawful faction, your administration has not onlyundermined Ethiopia’s constitutional framework but also violated the Pretoria Agreement and the expectations ofthe Federal Government and international guarantors. This course risks reigniting conflict and destabilizing theregion.
5. Systematic Marginalization of Youth, TDF Members, and Reform-Minded Constituencies:Your leadership has excluded Tigrayan youth, TDF members, and broad segments of the population who rightlyperceive your administration as a coup against the legitimate Interim Administration led by Mr. Getachew Reda.This exclusion fuels instability and deepens generational grievances.
6. Abuse of Power and Formation of a De Facto War Cabinet:Your decision to reintegrate discredited military commanders and torecognizea faction thataligns with theEritrean dictatorship,directly implicated in atrocities against Tigrayans,amounts to the establishment of a de factowar cabinet against the people of Tigray, the Federal government, and the peace-loving international community.
This reckless strategy threatens to plunge the people of Tigray into renewed violence and suffering.In light of these realities, your repeated invocations of “unity,” “reconciliation,” and “harmony” ring hollow. Theyserve not as genuine calls for peace, but as demands for the Tigrayan people to submit once again to a system ofrepression.
The Progressive Tigrayans Solidarity (PTS) stands firmly for an inclusive, democratic, and transparentgovernance process. We affirm that peace, justice, and thepeople’s legitimate aspirations cannot be achievedthrough coercion, exclusion, or the recycling of failed regimes.We therefore call upon you toimmediately restructure your cabinet to reflect the will of the people, uphold thecommitments of the Pretoria Agreement, and respect the principles of democratic governance.
Should you fail tocorrect course, we willhave to discharge our moral and ethical obligation torepudiate your administration andalign ourselves with the people of Tigray, the Federal Government of Ethiopia, and the international communityin challenging the illegitimacy of your leadership until the rightful demands of the Tigrayan people are fulfilled.
