Ethiopia: Federal government urges the people of Tigray to rise against TPLF

Ethiopia: Federal Communication Ministry has issued a statement urging the people of Tigray to rise against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

Ethiopian Federal Government and Tigray Regional government led by Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) have been involved in a deadly civil war since November 2020. Though TPLF is a political party, in May 2021 it was designated as a terrorist organization by the Ethiopian parliament.

In its latest statement, the Ethiopian Communication Ministry asked the people of Tigray to reject TPLF’s calls for war.

While the Ethiopian government is urging the people of Tigray to rise against TPLF, the ground situation tells another story. TPLF is challenged by no significant political force in Tigray. Opposition parties in Tigray like Salsay Woyane, Baytona, Tigray Independence Party, etc are relatively small parties.

Tigray People’s Liberation Front has ruled not only Tigray region but also the entire Ethiopia for years. The party was in power on the Federal level with some other parties from 1991 to 2018. It was removed from Addis Ababa after a massive street uprising. Since then tensions were growing between TPLF and the newly formed Prosperity Party (PP) led by the incumbent Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmad.

It would be interesting to mention that Tigry region has been under a siege and communication blackout since November 2020. How the people of Tigray are going to receive this message of the Ethiopian government to reject TPLF is an enigma.

It would be equally interesting to point out that Ethiopian Federal Government put in place an interim government in Tigray when fighting broke out there in early 2020. The interim government functioned till the end of June 2021 when Tigray forces took back Mekelle. During its 7 month tenure, several members of the interim government were killed in armed attacks by Tigray fighters.

While fighting rages on between Ethiopian federal forces and Tigray forces on Tigray borders, the call by the Ethiopian government is expected to have little impact.