Mekelle፡Telaviv, Nairobi, Pretoria, London, (Tigray Herald)
Betrayal by Blood: How TPLF’s Clan-Based Power Cartel Sabotaged Tigrayan Unity and Allied with Its Genocidal Enemy
Prepared by Horn of Africa Geopolitical Review (HAGR)
In collaboration with leading regional and international political and security experts
June 2025 | Confidential Briefing Edition
Executive Summary
For over three decades, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) operated not as a
representative political movement of the Tigrayan people, but as a clan-driven, family-dominated oligarchy rooted in nepotism, bloodline supremacy, and internal exclusion. What emerged was not a government—but a syndicate, a rigid, criminal network of interlinked family clans who exercised power with absolute control, zero accountability, and a total disregard for inclusive governance.
This system was not ideological or democratic—it was dynastic, narcissistic, and despotic. And today, in the post-genocide reality of Tigray, remnants of these same TPLF factions are engaging in the worst betrayal imaginable: entering secretive, opportunistic alliances with the very regime—Eritrea’s PFDJ—that committed genocide against the Tigrayan people.
This unholy collaboration with Isaias Afwerki’s criminal regime amounts to a suicidal political pact that threatens to destroy the fragile unity, recovery, and sovereignty of Tigray.
Section I: TPLF’s 34-Year Rule – The Rise of a Bloodline Dictatorship
From Revolutionary Movement to Criminal Dynasty
The TPLF’s 34-year rule (1991–2018) devolved into a criminalized political system led by a narrow, incestuous network of elite families—often connected through bloodlines, marriage, or secret kinship pacts. It became a closed power circle, where policy, opportunity, and influence were preserved only for a handful of interconnected clans, mostly hailing from select villages and towns.
These dynastic political families, rather than governing in the interest of all Tigrayans, developed a mafia-like power structure:
Appointments were clan-based, not merit-based. Resources were monopolized by the same families and their economic arms.
Military promotions followed bloodline affiliations, not professionalism.
Community dissent was suppressed, as any non-affiliated Tigrayan was deemed a threat or outsider.
This was not just nepotism—it was strategic exclusion.
Kleptocracy and Kakistocracy in Action
The TPLF’s governance combined the worst traits of political systems globally:
Kakistocracy: Governance by the least qualified and most corrupt individuals.
Oligarchy: Rule by a few elite families, often interlinked through kinship.
Kleptocracy: Massive wealth was looted from state coffers, aid funds, and natural resources, primarily benefiting the ruling clans.
Tyranny: Dissent was criminalized, and security institutions were weaponized against political competitors, both within and outside Tigray.
Section II: The Clan-State — An Anatomy of Power and Betrayal
What Were These Power Structures? Dynasties, Clans, or Criminal Cartels?
Clans and families within the TPLF apparatus functioned much like dynasties—their grip on
power passed across generations. These were not traditional Tigrayan clans based on cultural lineage. Instead, they evolved into modern political families that functioned as power mafias,where bloodline equaled entitlement.
Key sectors—military, intelligence, media, diplomacy, foreign aid, mining—were dominated by these select groups.Disloyalty meant exile, marginalization, or death. You didn’t rise by merit—you rose by bloodline.
This led to the destruction of meritocracy, the alienation of younger Tigrayans, and the
deliberate exclusion of competent professionals, many of whom now form the reformist base of the Tigray Interim Government.
Section III: Clan Betrayal in the Age of Genocide
Secret Pacts with Eritrea’s PFDJ: A Suicidal Alliance
In a shocking twist of history, factions of the TPLF’s old guard—driven by desperation to regain power—are now aligning with the Eritrean regime, the very architects of the Tigrayan genocide.These hidden alliances are not rooted in strategy but in vendetta, revenge, and
self-preservation.
These former power barons, stripped of influence post-war, are willing to conspire with Isaias Afwerki to eliminate the reformist leadership of Tigray. In doing so, they are signing a suicide pact—politically, morally, and historically—with Tigray’s mortal enemy. This act amounts to a betrayal of biblical proportions, selling the soul of Tigray in exchange for a phantom promise of regained power.
Section IV: The Consequences for Tigray
The Cost of Clanism and Criminal Nepotism
The legacy of TPLF’s clan-based tyranny has resulted in:
Fragmentation of Tigrayan society—sowing mistrust among communities.
Collapse of national cohesion—as many citizens feel alienated from power.
Infiltration of political sabotage—by those who lost power and now act as spoilers.
Loss of international credibility—as global partners demand reform, not recycling of past tyrants.Unless fully dismantled, this system will continue to undermine Tigray’s democratic future,weaken its diplomatic stance, and embolden enemies like Eritrea.
Section V: Recommendations for the Tigray Interim Government and International Partners
- Establish a Truth and Accountability Commission to expose the criminal networks of the former TPLF elites.
- Dismantle clan-based political and military networks embedded within the TDF, civil service,and intelligence agencies.
- Ban political figures and generals implicated in collusion with Eritrea from holding public office.
- Create an inclusive, merit-based governance model rooted in professionalism and broad
representation. - Strengthen alliances with democratic international actors who support Tigray’s reformist path.
- Develop national educational and civic programs to heal internal fractures and promote Tigrayan unity over clan identity.
Conclusion: From Bloodline Tyranny to Democratic Rebirth
The time has come to bury the era of bloodline politics in Tigray and replace it with a new vision—one that honors the victims of genocide, defends national integrity, and buildsdemocratic, inclusive, and transparent institutions.
The criminal networks of the past must be named, exposed, and legally dismantled—not just for justice, but to ensure Tigray’s survival and sovereignty in an increasingly hostile geopolitical environment.
Prepared by
Horn of Africa Geopolitical Review (HAGR)
For internal use by diplomatic missions, international human rights agencies, and strategic
partners supporting Tigray’s democratic future.
