Let. General Yohannes Gebremeskel Sees Danger “Tsemdo” as Danger to Tigray

Borkena

Toronto – The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and what used to be Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF), now People’s Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), have a history of bitter enmity.

In less than eight years after the two groups took power in Addis Ababa and Asmara, they found themselves in a deadly two years war that is said to have claimed hundreds of thousands of people from both sides. It was projected as a border war over the small village of Badme. However, analysts with insider information have been painting it as something else related to economic relations. Some even blame President Isaias’s Afeworki’s government for attempting to take unfair economic advantage over what was then the TPLF led Ethiopian government.

As part of the war, the TPLF deported tens of thousands with Eritrean origin from Ethiopia. Some of them never lived in Eritrea all their lives. The prosperous and dignified Eritrea from across Ethiopia were deported with orders from the TPLF leadership.

Then followed two decades of no-peace-no-war relations with the TPLF leadership leveraging its diplomatic relations in the west to keep Eritrea under sanctions and the Eritrean government supporting Ethiopian dissidents (providing them military training and arms.)

When the TPLF government lost power in Addis Ababa in 2018 after the then ruling coalition picked Abiy Ahmed to replace Hailemariam Desalegne, the no-peace-no war relation between Ethiopia and Eritrea ended.

Two years later another devastating war broke out when the TPLF attacked the Northern Command of the Ethiopian Defense Force in Tigray in what was painted as “blistering attack” (Eritrea bought the narrative at the time). The TPLF also fired rockets targeting Asmara. President Isaias Afeworki’s government formed a military alliance with Abiy Ahmed’s government in the war against TPLF which was later described by many Tigreans as Genocide against Tigray. The claim aside, key TPLF leaders like Seyom Mesfin (who served as foreign minister for decades) and Abay Tsehaye were killed during the operation. Some argue that the Eritrean forces were involved in this particular operation and that these leaders had a history of animosity with Isaias Afeworki. Other leaders like Sebhat Nega and many of his colleagues were captured in a humiliating condition. Eritrea was in a celebration mood about this achievement at some point.

Nearly one million people were reportedly killed during the two years war between November 2020 and November 2022 from Afar, Tigray and Amhara region of Ethiopia. The war ended with the signing of the “African Union Brokered” Pretoria Cessation of Hostility Agreement. At that point, the relationship between the Abiy Ahmed led Federal government and the Eritrean government started. It deteriorated fast to the point that fears were high they could go to war any moment. How and why the enmity started is unclear. However, Abiy Ahmed’s rhetoric about having access to the Red Sea at the time he was waging war against Fano forces in the Amhara region ( a devastating war to the region) is believed to have contributed to the tense relation.

Mysteriously, the development seems to have ended the enmity between Eritrea and TPLF (this time there are two factions). The faction under Debresion Gebremichael has formed what is described as “Tsemdo” ( a tigrigna word for alliance or coalition). Clearly, the alliance is strategic as it does appear to be the case that the two forces have ideological and other differences apart from history of irreconcilable enmity.

Yet, some voices within what used to be TPLF are expressing concern that the “Tsemdo” is dangerous to Tigray. Let. General Yohannes Gebremeskel is one of them. Take a listen to his interview below to learn why he thinks the Debretsion led TPLF -Eritrea alliance is dangerous to Tigray. Share your views in the comment section.

Video : embedded from NBC Ethiopia YouTube channel
Cover photo : screenshot from the video

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