Tigray at a Crossroads: The TPLF’s Political Crisis and the Rising Risk of Betrayal from Within By a Concerned Tigraway
Tigray is not at peace it is in limbo. While the guns have fallen silent, the hearts of our people remain heavy, not just with grief but with betrayal. We are told the war is over. We are told reconstruction has begun. But the reality on the ground tells a different story one where silence has replaced sovereignty and survival has replaced strategy.
Today, the actual threat to Tigray is not an external invasion. It is a quiet political collapse from within, orchestrated by a leadership that has lost its moral compass and now operates as an extension of the very forces that once sought to annihilate us.
TPLF Has Lost the Mandate of the People
Let us speak clearly: the TPLF no longer governs with the people’s consent. It governs through exclusion, manipulation, and political inertia. It has become a closed system of recycled elites, clinging to power without elections, accountability, or a plan to return authority to the people.
In post-war Tigray, the same individuals who miscalculated the conflict, negotiated behind closed doors in Pretoria, and allowed Eritrean forces to remain in Tigrayan land are now gatekeeping the future. And what future is that? A land without justice, without sovereignty, without vision.
We, the people of Tigray, did not survive genocide to be ruled by cowardice.
The Eritrean Question: Why Is Our Leadership Protecting the Enemy?
This is perhaps the most painful contradiction of all. While thousands of our brothers and sisters were massacred by Eritrean forces. At the same time, our churches were burned and our women raped by soldiers from Asmara, the TPLF has remained unwilling to confront Eritrea in any meaningful way.
Why has there been no formal demand for the removal of Eritrean troops?
Why has no strategy been proposed to reclaim our occupied territories in Irob, Gulomakeda, or western Tigray?
Why does the leadership treat Isaias Afwerki—a man who declared open war on Tigray—as a non-issue?
Credible reports have emerged that Abiy Ahmed, as part of his own regional maneuvers, proposed an alliance with the TPLF to strike Eritrea militarily. In exchange, Tigray would gain strategic leverage, including sea access. Was Abiy sincere? Probably not. But was the opportunity real? Absolutely.
Yet the TPLF turned it down without public discussion or consultation. Why? Because for many in the leadership, Eritrea is not an enemy—it is an old ally whose interests they still serve, even at the expense of their own people.
This is not a strategic error. It is a betrayal of historic proportions.
The Danger of Manufactured War
Let it be said clearly: Tigray does not want another war.
Our people have paid enough through blood, displacement, starvation, and mass trauma. But there is growing concern that TPLF may provoke or manufacture new conflict—internally or externally—as a way to:
- Distract from its political collapse
- Militarize youth unrest
- Regain its former “resistance” image
If this happens, it will not be a war for Tigray but a war against Tegaru, disguised in nationalist slogans.
The People Are Not Silent Because They Agree—They Are Silent Because They Are Surveilled
Across Tigray, a dangerous silence has taken hold. But this is not the silence of peace—it is the silence of fear. Opposition voices have been suppressed. Community leaders are watched. Activists and martyrs’ families are pressured into silence.
Diaspora Tegaru are smeared as “spoilers” for speaking the truth. Survivors are expected to move on without justice. Young fighters, who gave everything to defend Tigray, are now unemployed, discarded, and ignored.
This is not governance. This is an occupation by our own.
The Path Forward: A Peaceful Resistance to Political Parasitism
Tigray does not need more war. But we do need a radical political transformation. The following strategic steps can guide our people toward sovereignty without bloodshed:
- Immediate Resignation of TPLF’s Core Leadership
The same individuals who led Tigray into disaster cannot be trusted to lead it into recovery. A transitional authority must be formed, not appointed by Mekelle, but chosen by the people. - Creation of a Transitional National Council
This council must include opposition voices, youth leaders, women’s coalitions, war survivors, and diaspora representatives. Its mandate: manage a one-year transition to elections and reassert Tigray’s internal and external sovereignty. - Formal International Campaign to Expel Eritrean Forces
Eritrean troops still occupy parts of Tigray. We demand a public declaration, not diplomatic whispers. This must be at the top of any negotiation. - Truth and Accountability Process
We must investigate not only federal and Eritrean atrocities, but also internal betrayals. Why did thousands die with no logistical backup? Why were key towns surrendered? Why did Pretoria happen in secrecy? - Youth Mobilization for Political Rebirth
Tigray’s young generation must organize not for war but liberation from authoritarianism. They must take back the political space through peaceful protest, digital activism, and civil disobedience.
Conclusion: Tigray Will Not Be Saved by Those Who Surrendered It
To be Tigraway today is to live in a paradox—proud of our survival but ashamed of the silence we are asked to accept. We reject that silence. We reject the manufactured “peace” that comes without justice. We reject a leadership that fears the people more than the enemy.
We don’t need war, but we need truth.
We don’t need saviors—but we need representation.
We don’t need the TPLF, but we need a Tigray that belongs to Tegaru.
If our future is to be written, let it be written not by those who surrendered our dignity but by those ready to defend it—not with bullets, but with courage, unity, and vision.
