February 17, 2019 (Ezega.com) - The Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF) celebrated the 44th anniversary of its foundation today in Mekelle, Tigray, and other cities around the world.
Marking the occasion, the organization released one of the strongest statements it issued to date criticizing the way the country is going under the leadership of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
The Organization all but condemned what it called the erosion of constitutional order in broad day light and vowed that it will not sit idly while the country is going into anarchy.
The statement, which came at the end of the Central Committe meeting of the TPLF, claimed both internal and "external forces" are working in tandem to undermine Ethiopian unity and stability and condemned the "external interference."
The statement also stated that whereas those who brought change and development are accused and blamed for everything, those who sabotaged the country are being welcomed as heroes.
It also claimed that much of the progress the EPRDF (Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front) brought to the country has been tarnished for political purposes. The statement said the EPRDF brought great economic development and stability to Ethiopia, which is markedly different from what it was 27 years ago.
The TPLF leadership said it will work with all national and regional forces who believe in revolutionary democracy, federalism and constitutional order to defend the constitution and stablity of the country and bring about change if necessary.
“We will not negotiate on the constitutional order we brought,” the statement said.
Finally, the statement invited the Eritrean people to stand with it (the TPLF) to fight for peace and justice and reminded that the TPLF has always supported their cause while others were against it.
Today's statement marks a new escalation in the simmering internal conflict within the EPRDF, the implication of which can be serious for a country that is being tested by various ethnic and boundary conflicts, as well as the breakdown of law and order in some parts.
Since Abiy Ahmed became Prime Minister of Ethiopia, the TPLF has ong felt it has been sidelined from most policy decisions within the EPRDF, an organization it founded and led for a long time. In fact, many even claim that the current leadership has essentially ran things by executive order, different from how the organization worked in the past.
According to the current statement, it appears that the TPLF is beginning to give up on the EPRDF and its current leadership, and it intends to fight against it for change along with other forces. How the Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed-led forces will react to this developement is yet to be seen.
You can watch news summary of the TPLF statements marking the 44th TPLF anniversary on Ezega Videos.