more than 50,000 were killed and
200,000 Hungarians fled the Country.
The most common statement, that is inserted
in the conversations between Tegaru, is asking oneself how Tegaru managed to
live among the human wolves for such a very long time. Tegaru, illiterates and
scholars alike, have found it very difficult to find a satisfactory answer for
this question. The absence of answer to the question has brought a sea change,
in other words, a profound transformation in the line of thinking about their
status vis a vis Ethiopia and Eritrea. Although Eritrea has done most of the harm
on Tigray, ungrateful to the latter for fighting and facilitating its independence,
Eritrea was/is acting as a hired proxy of Ethiopia and Amhara imperialists. Hence,
the focus is on Ethiopia with the Amhara imperialists on its steering wheel. For
so long, after every aggression and atrocity on Tigray, the victims forgive and
forget deceived by the disarming paradox which is often used as a ground for
postwar reconciliation: Fighting while intermarried, having same religion, same
history, single language family, and hardly distinguishable cultures. When the “imperialist
kin” of Tigray attack and devastate it and Tigray responds in kind, third
parties always wonder why the two are fighting given their cultural homogeneity.
That is why they are always inclined towards judging the conflicts as
misbehavior on both sides. Instead of calling the spade a spade, they prefer to
ask “both of them” to stop the war. Tigray has changed and changed forever from
the hard-earned lesson in the war. The war on Tigray, launched on November 4,
is unique in the sense that, unlike previous wars on Tigray it sent a terrible
message never told before. The wars on Tigray, prior to the current one, were
fought either to quash a rebellion against central rule or to weaken Tigray and
remove it from the internal power struggle in Ethiopia. None of the previous
invasion took away, in words and deeds, the status of Tigray as integral part
of Ethiopia. I don't mean previous wars were tolerable; they have reduced
Tigray into economically degraded and dependent society. After effectively
murdering it in economic terms they were mocking it as unable to contribute for
the purchase of pieces of chalk for its own schools. They are cruel and demonic
beyond definition. However, their ugliness became very clearly visible after
the war started on November 4, 2020.
What are the ugliness that powerfully
revealed themselves during the war that had the power to disallow continuing the
business as usual of working and living with them? First and foremost is the
violation of Ethiopia's sovereignty that got its justification when it happened
on Tigray. Sudan was entrusted to close the western border on Tigray making it a
foreign accessory to the aggression. Eritrea was paid to commit the worst of
war crimes and extra-war atrocities on Tigray. Somalia sent troops to kill
Tegaru. South Sudan was requested to send troops but refused. Anyways the idea
was there. United Arab Emirates sent devastating drones to support its friends
whom it decorated medals. Allied troops invaded Germany. This was World War II.
The alignment of forces is simple and clear. Germany did the provocation by
invading Europe and the invaded came upon it with full force. The war in Tigray
is also a world war, although no one wanted to call it the third. The
ingredients are the same; but the difference is the scale. What makes the war
in Tigray perplexing more to Tegaru than others is why a world war was launched
on them while they are only a regional state in Ethiopia. Who could have
understood allied states invading the German State of Bavaria invited by Berlin
under Hitler? Even if we accept, like Addis Ababa did, that Tigray is a foreign
state why was it treated like Germany when it did not invade any piece of territory
from its neighbors and the only thing it did was to elect its leaders? This
irrationality makes the World War on Tigray the most meaningless war in
history.
World reaction to the brutal war on Tigray,
which is aimed at extermination using several methods, was harmfully very late:
too late to be more precise. The lip service wrapped in grand humanitarian
terminology continued to flood from USA, and EU in which Tegaru victims of the
genocidal war partly put their hopes for survival on. As the time went on, and
the death and suffering of millions of Tegaru gathered momentum, the world
community continued with its game of words as if the words would become
calories and save lives. Its restraints from taking drastic action, as it did
in other countries where less severe human rights violations existed, is
incomprehensible. Words of admiration for the military skills of the Army of
Tigray, by UN chief and by the Pentagon, would not help the TDF in sharing its
burden of the mission it is fighting for. TDF is not fighting for what its
predecessor fought for. Its predecessor fought to remove dictatorship and share
power with the rest of Ethiopians on a federal arrangement. We don' t know what
is going to happen in Addis Ababa once TDF's mission is completed; but for now,
TDF's mission and only mission is to break the deadly siege on Tigray and free
Western Tigray from invaders. The occupation of Amhara-land and Afar by TDF is
not annexation as the enemy and in recent days the US would prefer to call it. It
is a military strategic move to end the annexation of Western Tigray and
opening up humanitarian corridors for its starving millions. This fact was told
to the whole world by the commanders of TDF, by the president of Tigray, and by
Tigray's spokesman. It must have been falling on deaf ears so much that US and
other world leaders are almost ordering TDF to withdraw from its positions
unconditionally and never attempt to reach Addis Ababa.
For several months now world diplomacy seems
to strongly favor Tigray's humanitarian objectives but falls short of any real
action to turn its words into practice. We know about the diplomatic adage that
there is only permanent interest which guides action however weighty
humanitarian crisis are. However, such deleterious procrastination of more
potent action on Ethiopia and Eritrea has emboldened the leaders of the two and
encouraged them to become even more vicious. The whole world knows USA has the
moral depression of supporting Augusto Pinochet and Mobutu Seseseko against
democratic movements. Every passing day the world is engaged in fruitless war
of words, with the two dictators in Ethiopia and Eritrea, hundreds of people
are dying of easily avoidable hunger in Tigray. The leaders in Ethiopia and Eritrea
no doubt is enjoying every passing day without drastic action by the US. The
delay helps them to bring their goal of extermination a day closer to
attainment. As the TDF is anxious about the people of Tigray and trying to rush
the end of the war.
The US is disturbing the concentration of the TDF
commanders by putting unwelcome obstacles on its way to victory. Feltman said
he does not want to see a “Meles kind of Government” in Addis Ababa. This is
too unwise for a senior US diplomat to sideline the movement of the Oromo
people led by WBO (OLA) to change the government in Addis Ababa. Although this
is what TDF is knowingly accused of it is not fighting to restore its past in
Ethiopia. It has the lives of its millions at stake. It would never think of
sitting at Arat-Kilo and do all the building of Ethiopia, which turned against
its people. Whether people take Tigray for its words or not Tigray has changed
forever since November 4. It wouldn't destroy Ethiopia; but it has no intention
at all of serving it ever again, even if Ethiopia begs it to. By telling TDF to
drop the idea of ruling Ethiopia again the chief of PP and the US are fouling
their mouths for nothing. US and the world should stop worrying about the
imagined intention of TDF and urgently focus on the demands set by the
government of Tigray. Any participation of Tigray in any new government in
Addis Ababa is intended for meeting its demands such as punishing war criminals
and genocide perpetrators. Even if Tigray is to stay in the federation life
will not be like dating of two lovers around a table; but Tigray would be
vigilant watching the movement of the hands of the one sharing the table. Trying
to obstruct justice and obliterate evidence by including Tigray in the war crimes
report does not deter Tigray from taking the law into its own hands on those who
tried their best to wipe it from the face of the earth. This is how the myopic
world turns honest freedom fighters into terrorists.
