July 11, 2019 (Ezega.com) -- The Central Committee of the TPLF (Tigrayan People's Liberation Front) has issued an extraordinary and highly unusual statement condeming the current situation in Ethiopia and called on Tigrayans and the Ethiopian people to start a new struggle urgently to protect what it said the unity and stability of the country.
In an urgent, one-day meeting held in Mekelle city in Tigray, on July 9, 2019, the TPLF all but declared the current central government in Ethiopia unfit to lead the country and is responsible for all the grave situation the country finds itself currently.
In particular, the TPLF statement singled out the Amhara Democratic Party (ADP) as the root cause of the problem and responsible for current situation. It demanded that the ADP come clean and apologize to the Ethiopian people and correct its way. Otherwise, the statement said, the TPLF cannot work with such an organization.
The tone and substance of the statement given by the TPLF is highly unusual and blunt for the hetherto diplomatic state of affairs within the EPRDF (Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front). It may not only signifiy the official separation of the TPLF from the EPRDF, but also the beginning of hostilities of unknown magnitude between the once sister parties. It may also have a very grave implications for the unity and stability of the country, already weakened by a series of setbacks in the last one year.
It is unknow why the the TPLF went this far to condemn the ADP and the central government in such harsh terms. It all but declared that it does not have any confidence in both the central government as well as the ADP.
According to the statement issued, the TPLF has passed the following resolutions (losely translated and abbreviated for clarity):
1. The recent killing of our heroes must be investigated by an independent body, and those responsible must be held accountabe.
2. The ADP is behind the forces distabilizing the country. ADP must evaluate itself and take a clear stand. And it must apologize to Ethiopian people. Otherwise, the TPLF cannot work with ADP any longer.
3. The grave situation the country is facing is due to EPRDF having lost its way and taken over by opportunists and extremists. To ensure unity, peace, stability, and continued development, the EPRDF must clarify its stand on various issues and on the upcoming elections.
4. Ethiopian defence forces must live up to their constitutional obligations and protect the unity and stability of the country. 'The TPLF will stand with you and will struggle on your side," says the statement.
5. The TPLF will start work with all like-minded Ethiopian forces for the unity and stability of the country urgently.
6. Requests for statehood in Southern Ethiopia must be resolved according to the constitution of Ethiopia and not by force.
7. Once again, we call upon the Federal government to ensure peace and rule of law, and protect the rights of all people, without eroding the constitution
Finally, the statement called on the Tigrayan people to prepare for a new struggle. It said, 'you have gone through so much and sacrificed so much. Now, they are killing your heroes to put you down.' The statement called on the Tigrayan people to prepare for a new struggle around the TPLF towards, what it called, the inevitable victory.
The statement also called on the Ethiopian people to join the TPLF to defeat what is called the 'chauvinists who have resurrected themselves from the dead, working to destroy the constitutional order.'
Please watch the full TPLF statement in Tigrigna on Ezega Videos. And here is a short version of the TPLF statement translated in Amharic.
And here is ADP statement issued on July 11, 2019, in response to this TPLF statement.