Mekelle፡Telaviv, Nairobi, Pretoria, London, (Tigray Herald).
“This Is Not Leadership It Is Betrayal”: Raya’s Voices for Justice Must Be Heard
By Habtanu Belay
I write these words not as a politician, not as a public figure, but as a Tigraway and a son of Raya whose heart is bleeding.
What is unfolding in Southern Tigray today, particularly in Raya, is not governance. It is not leadership. It is not even political miscalculation. It is something far worse: military suppression, social humiliation, and a deep betrayal of the values that once bound Tigray together.
On Wednesday, innocent public servants at the Mehoni Electric Power Office were brutally assaulted by armed soldiers. These were not combatants, not activists, not armed rebels just regular civil workers. Their only crime was showing up for duty in the wrong place, at the wrong time, in the wrong zone. They now lie in hospital beds, battered by forces claiming to be protectors of the people.
Today, a delegation of Raya’s most revered elders custodians of a proud cultural and historical identity travelled to Mekelle. Their mission was one of peace. Their message was simple: We are not being heard. We are not safe. We are not okay. They hoped for dialogue, but were met with silence.
More painful than the militarization itself is the celebratory ignorance displayed by some corners of Tigray. The forced takeover of the Raya zonal administration was greeted by certain hardliners with chants, cheers, and mocking laughter as if the assault on Raya was some kind of battlefield victory.
Let me be unequivocal: Raya has not been defeated.
We have chosen wisdom over war. Peace over provocation. Our retreat is not out of fear, but out of hope hope that peace may still prevail, and that our dignity as part of Tigray will be respected, not trampled.
But that hope is fading fast.
General Tadesse Worede, commander of the Tigray Defense Forces and now head of the interim regional government, must answer a grave question: Why did you remove a civilian administration without any public consultation? Why did you impose a military order in a land that has already suffered too much?
This is not leadership. This is domination.
Armed forces now walk into civilian offices, intimidate local employees, and silence opposition. Raya, a land that has always been a gateway to Tigray’s survival, is being treated as a threat not a partner.
For decades, the people of Raya have stood guard at the southern flank of Tigray not as rebels, but as guardians of culture, dignity, and shared sacrifice. Our blood has been spilled in wars we did not start. Our loyalty never wavered, even when we were treated as marginal. But today, that loyalty is being tested.
To the architects of this militarized intervention the TPLF hardliners, and their allies understand this: you may control the buildings, but you do not control the soul of Raya.
The spirit of Raya is rooted not in politics, but in principle. We are proud of our heritage, committed to justice, and steadfast in our refusal to become pawns in anyone’s political game.
We therefore demand:
An immediate and unconditional withdrawal of military forces from civilian institutions across Raya;
The full reinstatement of our legitimate zonal administration chosen by the people;
Public acknowledgment and accountability for the assaults carried out on July 23rd;
A transparent and inclusive process of truth and reconciliation between Mekelle and the people of Southern Tigray.
To those fellow Tegaru who clapped at our humiliation we urge reflection, not retaliation. Unity is not forged through the silencing of dissent, nor through the humiliation of proud communities. There is no victory in suppressing your own people.
The time has come to remember what Tigray stands for. We do not want a Tigray ruled by fear. We want a Tigray governed by dignity. By respect. By truth.
The people of Raya are not the problem. We are part of the solution.
But first, we must be treated as such.
