Mekelle፡Telaviv, Nairobi, Pretoria, London,April 5፡2025 (Tigray Herald)
“Land for Betrayal: Mekelle’s Soil Handed to TPLF Militias in a Grand Act of Corruption, Injustice, and Internal Atrocity”
Date: April 5, 2025
From: Tigrayan Advocacy for Human Rights and Justice International
To:
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Human Rights Watch (HRW)
Amnesty International
European Union External Action Service (EEAS)
U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR)
Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC)
Western Diplomatic Missions in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa
Global Tigrayan Advocacy and Justice Networks
International Media Outlets
Tigrayan Diaspora Media and Civic Institutions
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Subject: Urgent Appeal and Condemnation of Illegal Land Appropriation in Mekelle by TPLF-Affiliated Militias
To the International Community and the People of Tigray Worldwide,
We, the Tigrayan Advocacy for Human Rights and Justice International, issue this urgent appeal and unequivocal condemnation regarding an unlawful and politically motivated land allocation scheme executed by the self-declared “mayor” of Mekelle—an appointee of the militia-aligned, illegitimate TPLF splinter group. This decision unlawfully grants 206 armed militia members plots of 500 square meters each, amounting to 103,000 square meters of highly valuable urban land in Mekelle.
This is not a routine administrative act—it is a calculated betrayal of the Tigrayan people, a violation of the Pretoria Peace Agreement, and an affront to the principles of justice, rule of law, and democratic accountability in post-genocide Tigray.
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Details of the Crime: Land-for-Loyalty in Exchange for Internal Atrocities
The land allocations in question serve as political compensation for individuals directly implicated in:
Participating in an illegal coup against the legitimate Tigray Interim Government;
Engaging in the violent seizure of towns and institutions;
Involvement in mass detention, torture, and extrajudicial killings of civilians;
Disrupting public administration and dismantling local governance systems;
Illegally taking control of tax offices and unlawfully collecting state revenues.
What is being publicly framed as a “service recognition initiative” is in fact a strategic bribery operation, designed to solidify militia control, institutionalize lawlessness, and entrench power through corrupt rewards. Land—a public resource—is being used as a political currency to reward impunity.
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Consequences: Land, Blood, and Political Betrayal
103,000 sqm of public land has been unlawfully handed over to individuals implicated in violence and governance subversion.
Farmers in Enderta and the outskirts of Mekelle are being displaced without due process.
Youth, women, and war survivors—the very backbone of Tigray’s post-war recovery—are denied shelter and resources.
This sets a dangerous precedent, normalizing land-for-violence politics and embedding corruption in Tigray’s urban planning.
No public consultation, legal oversight, or transparency accompanied this allocation—an outright violation of Ethiopian federal laws and international human rights principles.
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An Internal Atrocity Unfolding: The War from Within
The militias benefiting from this land scheme are not defenders of Tigray—they are perpetrators of a new form of internal warfare, using land, power, and coercion to undermine the very people they claim to represent.
> “The worst atrocity is the internal atrocity—the betrayal not from foreign enemies, but from within our own ranks.”
This is not poor governance. It is grand-scale corruption, political criminality, and internal colonization of the people and resources of Tigray.
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Demands and Appeals
We call for swift and decisive action from the international community, human rights institutions, and Tigrayan civil society:
To International Human Rights Organizations:
Publicly condemn the illegal land allocations as a serious human rights and governance violation.
Launch independent investigations into internal atrocities committed post-Pretoria Peace Agreement.
To Western Diplomatic Missions:
Condemn the appointment of an illegitimate mayor and the unlawful land distribution scheme.
Suspend cooperation with institutions hijacked by militia-backed political operatives.
To the African Union and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission:
Urgently investigate forced displacement and illegal expropriation of land in Mekelle and surrounding districts.
To Global Tigrayan Advocacy and Justice Networks:
Bring this matter before the International Criminal Court (ICC), UN Human Rights Council, and African Union Peace and Security Council.
To Tigrayan Media, Diaspora, and Civic Institutions:
Continue to expose the internal atrocities and reject the normalization of corruption, land theft, and illegitimate governance.
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Conclusion: Justice Over Betrayal
This moment will define the future of Tigray. Will we allow a minority of armed political criminals to hijack our future, or will we rise to defend truth and justice?
We affirm:
> Mekelle’s land is not for sale. Tigray’s blood is not for barter. The sacrifices of our people will not be dishonored by betrayal.
This letter shall serve as a public charge sheet and a historical record against all perpetrators of this ongoing internal atrocity.
Tigray shall not be surrendered to criminal networks—whether they wear uniforms or occupy stolen offices. Justice will prevail. Tigray will rise.
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Tigrayan Advocacy for Human Rights and Justice International
Contact:
Email: info@tigrayadvocacy.org
Offices: United Kingdom & Nairobi, Kenya
Phone: +44 7721 753723
