GSTS
Re: Urgent Request for Further Practical Actions to Foster Durable Peace
in Ethiopia
Your Excellencies,
The Global Society of Tigray Scholars and Professionals (GSTS) is deeply appreciative of your excellencies’ ongoing efforts to end the more than two years-long brutal war and catastrophic humanitarian crises in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia, and thus realise durable peace in the region, country and the Horn of Africa at large. We applaud both parties, the Governments of Ethiopia and Tigray, for the commitment they have displayed to implement the ceasefire and path to sustainable peace outlined in the Pretoria Peace Agreement and subsequent senior commanders’ talks in Nairobi.
We commend the critical role that the United States (US), the United Nations (UN), the African Union (AU), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the European Union (EU), and States including Kenya, South Africa and other entities played and continue to support towards actualizing the permanent cessation of hostilities and further steps afterwards.
We welcome and extol the recent visit of the high-level Ethiopian government delegation and the over thirty-two members of the international diplomatic corps and the panel of mediators to Mekelle, the capital of Tigray. All these are critical steps to galvanise peace-building measures, and thus accelerate the implementation of the initiated peace deal.
GSTS also deeply appreciate the encouraging resumption of limited basic services in some areas of Tigray.
However, as commendable and encouraging as all these positive steps are, there are several roadblocks and obstacles still in place that might derail or even reverse the positive steps unless they are addressed in earnest. Hence, in line with the aims and goals of the Pretoria Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA) and the shared vision of sustainable peace in Ethiopia and the broader Horn of the Africa region, the GSTS would like to respectfully urge your excellencies, the government of Ethiopia and authorities of the Tigray regional government, and other peace-loving actors and stakeholders to immediately prioritise and act on the following demands to foster durable peace and lasting reconciliation in Ethiopia and beyond:
Unconditional and immediate withdrawal of Amhara forces from all illegally occupied territories of Tigray to their Pre-November 3, 2020, lines of deployment and enact restoration of pre-war territorial and administrative status quo ante; and the return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees to their homes, with full compensation for lost property, income, and physical and mental distress. Since the war was declared and waged on Tigray, the Amara regional government and its forces have been carrying out massive ethnic cleansing by employing various measures, including extrajudicial killings of hundreds of thousands, intentional displacement of millions of indigenous Tigrayans native to the area (over 2.3 million IDPs and more than 75,000 in refugees in Sudan), forcible disappearances of targeted individuals, deliberate and systematic removal and destruction of forensic evidence of the crimes committed including the remains of victims of genocide including using chemicals, etc. to alter and engineer the demographics. To accomplish its illegal and expansionist policy, the Amhara regional government and its forces have also effectuated further steps including destroying Tigrayan ID cards and reissuing citizens with Amhara identity cards, relocating a large number of new Amhara settlers from Gondar and other Amhara parts to Western Tigray, leasing forcefully occupied land to Amhara investors, established its own unconstitutional administrative setups etc. Thus, their complete withdrawal from all constitutionally recognized territories is of the highest priority to realise durable peace.
Unconditional, immediate, complete and verifiable withdrawal of Eritrean forces from all illegally occupied territories of Tigray to their Pre-November 3, 2020, lines of deployment and enact restoration of pre-war territorial and administrative status quo ante, put an end to the large-scale atrocities that these forces continue to perpetrate in all territories under their occupation. Contrary to some media reports that Eritrean forces have partially left major cities, GSTS has reliably confirmed from the ground that these barbaric forces are still actively operating in all areas they have forcefully and illegally occupied during their multiple invasions and, unfortunately, they have also continued to commit heinous atrocities including large-scale massacre, kidnapping, rape and sexual violence, looting, evidence destruction etc.
UN-led independent investigation into all atrocity crimes perpetrated on the civilian population of Tigray and other parts of Ethiopia and ensure criminals are held accountable; victims and survivors receive justice, as well as all reparations owed to them. GSTS strongly underlines that accountability and justice are critical elements to foster genuine healing and reconciliation among nations, nationalities and peoples in Ethiopia, lasting peace, and security pact.
As per UNSC Resolution 24/17 (2018) and the Peace Agreement, ensure the immediate, unconditional, unfettered and sufficient delivery of humanitarian aid to all parts of Tigray.
Complete resumption of all essential basic services including telecommunications, internet, electricity, banking and financial services, fuel, civilian transport (land and air), trade and other public services in all parts of Tigray.
You people are crazy, you are asking the UN, US and other outside power to give you back the land you stolen 30 years ago. You have no shame left in your soul, you should have apologized for what you did instead you are asking to retain the land you stolen.Let me tell you this, you will never get any land that was not yours before tplf comes to power end of story. there is a say in amharic ye lebe aynederek temeleso leb yaderk, that explains you very much, on the issue of Amhara force, they can be anywhere they want with in Ethiopia, so stop complaining. Do not pretend as if you won the war, tplf and the likes of it are criminals that was partially forgiven by the people of Ethiopia. Now suddenly you started miss behaving once the relief is delivered and things getting normal. so remember the people of Ethiopia did not forget what tplf and its supports did, we just forgive for the good of the country.
GOJAM: You need to check your head, man. You are losing it!
Tsegaye, thank you for reminding me about my head, by the way don’t forgot yours, that is the dangerous one!!
First of all, clearly you need to be reminded that you lost the war. TPLF is in no position to demand anything.
Secondly, “the status quo ante” you mention in your posting has its’ own “status quo ante”, which is the systematic displacement of the majority Amhara from their ancestral land in Welkait and its’ environs, starting in the early 1970s, effectively creating a demographic shift where the whole Amhara population was displaced by Tigrayans, thus creating a new reality on the ground. Well, I’d hate to tell you this but the Amharas has scrapped the reality you have created and restored their rightful ownership to the lands of Welkait and its’ environs. There is no returning to the so called “status quo ante” because the “status quo ante” was put in to effect when Welkait returned to Amharas. After the change of 2018, there was a possibility Tigray would have retained what Tigrayans stole using the Constitution – devised by Tigrayans for Tigrayans and for Tigray. TPLF’s enormous miscalculation has led to the complete destruction of Tigray and all lands taken by Tigray by force have been returned to their rightful owners. What you need to focus on is how to replace the TPLF with a legitimate local administration that is answerable to the people of Tigray and is also obedient to the orders fo the Federal Government. Anything else is just ቅዠትና ስካር.