Mekelle፡Telaviv, Nairobi, Pretoria, London, (Tigray Herald)
The following document is designed tofor publication under the Horn of Africa Geopolitical Review (HAGR). The tone balances diplomatic reverence with political accountability, especially toward the betrayal by the TPLF leadership and military elites.
HONORING THE BLOOD THAT SPEAKS:
Tigray’s Martyrs and the Betrayal of Their Legacy
Strategic Political and Memorial Briefing 37th Tigrayan Martyrs’ Day
Prepared by: Horn of Africa Geopolitical Review (HAGR)
Executive Staretegic Summary
By Leading Regional and International Political, Security, and Memorial Ethics Experts
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
On this 37th Martyrs’ Day of Tigray, we pause not only to remember but to reckon. We commemorate not only the fallen but we confront the living betrayal. This solemn briefing ofers a strategic and moral reckoning with the current political and military elite in Tigray,particularly the TPLF’s corrupt leadership and its “Above the Core” military oligarchy, who have desecrated the sacred memory of Tigray’s martyrs for personal gain and authoritarian continuity.
The foundations of Tigray’s modern identity, its enduring resistance against colonialism, tyranny,and genocide, were built on the blood of its martyrs. Yet today, their sacrifice has been prostituted for power, abused for nepotism, and ignored in the face of deepening corruption,most notably through illegal gold mining cartels, land-grabbing crimes, and the protection ofcriminal networks within the military elite.This document asserts unequivocally: to honor Tigray’s martyrs is to oppose those whobetrayed them.
- THE SACRIFICE THAT BUILT A NATIONMartyrs are not simply fallen soldiers. They are beacons of truth, embodied justice, and immortal flames in the conscience of a people. The Tigrayan martyrs laid down their lives not for party,clique, or region but for:
Liberty and equality Justice and human dignity
The sovereignty of the people over political dynasties Unity in diversity not ethnic monopoly Accountability in power not elite immunity their sacrifice must be etched into the political DNA of Tigray’s future not buried under therubble of cronyism and revisionist history.
- WHY WE MUST REMEMBER OUR MARTYRS
Martyrs’ Day is not just a ritual it is a moral obligation. Remembering martyrs is:
A spiritual act: Honoring their blood and truth.
A political act: Resisting the forces that have betrayed them.
A social act: Embedding their values in our education, governance, and justice systems.
“A nation that forgets its martyrs becomes a nation ruled by its oppressors.”-HAGR Memorial Doctrine
The Memory of Martyrs Is Repetition With Purpose:
To teach: Future generations must learn who these heroes were not through slogans, butthrough truthful historical education.
To guard: Political dynasties must not manipulate martyrdom for their own legacy-making.
To fight: Injustice against the people is an insult to the martyrs’ sacrifice.
- THE GREATEST DISHONOR: TPLF’s BETRAYAL OF THE MARTYRS
The TPLF’s contemporary leadership, particularly the Debretsion-led faction and “Above the Core” military cliques, have reduced the martyrs’ sacred legacy to a tool for political survival.Their actions include:
Entrenching nepotism and political dynasties that contradict the ideals of martyrdom.
Abandoning war-wounded veterans and survivors of sexual violence.
Shielding military criminals involved in illegal gold mining, land theft, and violent suppression ofdissent.
Conspiring with the Eritrean regime (PFDJ)-the very perpetrators of Tigray’s genocide forshort-term survival and illicit profits.
“They died for Tigray’s freedom. You live to exploit it.” Public Message to the TPLF Elite
- HONORING MARTYRS WITH ACTION, NOT EMPTY WORDS
True remembrance demands more than speeches. It demands truth, justice, reform, andsacrifice from the living. Here’s how:
A. Structural Reforms for Martyrs’ Legacy
Establish an Independent Martyrs’ Commission to preserve their history and ensure state support to survivors and families.Mandate the inclusion of martyrs’ stories in educational curricula at all levels. Build new memorials not just in urban centers but in rural areas where forgotten heroes died.
B. Political and Judicial Accountability
Investigate and prosecute TPLF military elites and commanders who exploited martyrdom forillegal enrichment.Purge the Tigray government of systemic nepotism and military impunity.Publicly reject and dismantle the “Above the Core” culture of unaccountable generals and theircriminal networks.
C. Justice for the Living
Support and rehabilitate survivors of war and sexual violence.Secure justice for the victims of the 2020–2022 genocide, through both national tribunals andinternational courts.Prohibit any unholy political alliance with genocidal regimes like Eritrea’s PFDJ.
- FULFILLING THE MARTYRS’ VISION: LIBERTY, JUSTICE, EQUALITY
To fulfill their vision is to build:
A Tigray governed by the rule of law, not by warlords.A society where every citizen is equal before the law, not stratified by military ranks or partyseniority. A political culture of honesty, competence, and transparency not dynasties, regionalfavoritism, or secrecy.
- THE BIGGEST WAY TO RESPECT Tigray’s MARTYRS “The martyrs died to liberate us from tyranny not to replace it with a more familiar form.” HAGR
The most powerful tribute we can ofer is to:Serve the people of Tigray without bias or discrimination.Protect public resources from looting and elite extraction.Speak truth to power, especially when the powerful wear our own flag.Demand reform, justice, and full accountability regardless of who is in power.
- FINAL WORD: THE BLOOD THAT SPEAKS
Their blood speaks not just from the ground but from within our conscience, from the valueswe either uphold or betray.When we remain silent about corruption, we betray them.When we tolerate political dynasties, we betray them.When we let sexual violence survivors go unheard, we betray them.When we allow rogue generals to operate above the law, we betray them.But when we rise against injustice, fight corruption, and live with integrity, we become part oftheir eternal legacy.
CONCLUSION: FROM MARTYRDOM TO NATIONAL DIGNITY
Let the 37th Martyrs’ Day be more than remembrance. Let it be a call to rebuild Tigray’s moralspine.Let it be the year we:Reject the TPLF’s betrayal of its own sacred origins.Stand for the ideals of the martyrs, not the ambitions of the unworthy. Build a future that lives up to the price they paid. “You may bury the body of the martyr, but never the fire they lit in the soul of a nation.” Horn of Africa Geopolitical Review
Document Prepared by: Horn of Africa Geopolitical Review (HAGR)
Strategic Memorial Series | Political Integrity and Martyrdom Accountability DivisionFor circulation among diplomatic missions, human rights bodies, justice coalitions, and nationalreform institutions.
