Mereja.Forum

[Zack]

Dear lads

The war over Badme, which erupted in 1998, was never truly about the territorial dispute itself, nor was it a struggle over strategic or resource rich land. Badme and the surrounding regions possess no significant natural resources such as gold, oil, or other valuable commodities and we know this , nor do they hold strategic importance like the Golan Heights in Syria. To frame the conflict purely in territorial terms is to misunderstand its deeper political and ideological underpinnings.

A particular narrative, championed by the likes of Zmeselo, contends that TPLF instigated the war in pursuit of an independent Tigray Republic. However, this argument does not hold up at all While it is true that the TPLF once flirted with the notion of a Tigray Republic, they never made concrete moves towards its realisation not during the 1980s . Even in the wake of the late Meles Zenawi’s passing, a time when the TPLF was losing its grip on power, no significant measures were taken to materialise such a separatist agenda they never really did . The Ethiopian constitution, which explicitly grants nations and nationalities the right to secede under self determination, was in practice more of a rhetorical device than a genuine invitation for secessionist movements. Meles, a shrewd tactician him self, employed this constitutional clause as a means of maintaining political cohesion, ensuring that various ethnic groups remained within the fold of the Ethiopian state.

To reduce the war to an attempt at forging a Tigray Republic is therefore a misrepresentation and is neithere here nore there . Rather, the root cause of the conflict lay in the deteriorating relationship between the TPLF led Ethiopian government and the Eritrean leadership under Isaias Afwerki aka the patriotic dictator . The war was, at its core, a clash of personalities, a battle of egos between Meles Zenawi and Isaias Afwerki. The two leaders had a fraught history, their relationship punctuated by deep seated mistrust and competing visions for the region. The TPLF leadership had grown weary of Eritrea’s influence in Addis Ababa and sought to curb Isaias’ leverage over Ethiopian affairs that was the main issue . One significant point of contention was Ethiopia’s didnt want to pay the weekly cheques to Isias afewerki , a move that signified the TPLF’s broader strategy of diminishing Eritrea’s economic and political sway perhaps that was a way to do things and strategy overall indeed.

Even after Eritrea secured a favourable ruling on the border dispute from international adjudicators, the TPLF refused to relinquish control over the territories they had captured This decision was not driven by a desire to retain Badme for its intrinsic value, but rather as a calculated measure to weaken Isaias and his administration. The persistence in holding onto these territories was, in essence, ann effort to drain Eritrea economically and militarily, forcing Isaias into a prolonged state of attritionn that was their strategy but it was never about badme or some Tigray republic it was a mean to encircle Eritrea .

Thus, the war was never about the land itself, nor was it an earnest endeavour to establish a Tigray Republic. Instead, it was a manifestation of the power struggle between two formidable leaders in Ethiopia and in Eritrea , each seeking to outmanoeuvre and undermine the other. The conflict, with all its devastation, was ultimately fuelled by political machinations and personal rivalries rather than any grand ideological or territorial ambition such as the non existent tigray republic indeed .

Indeed, Mr Aklilu, you are quite right dear lad. Both Zmeselo and I are foreigners, yet it is rather telling that he still perceives himself as Ethiopian. When he singled me out as a foreigner, he inadvertently revealed his own subconscious attachment to mama Ethiopia. It is, in essence, a psychological matter having been Ethiopian for so long, the identity remains deeply ingrained within him. How long has it been now? Thirty four some years? since independence and Ethiopia still remainds in his back head and he still regards him self some sort of Way as an Ethiopian


Dr Zackovich

[Zmeselo]

Stop repeating legacy media's talking points.

First off, thier name itself (TPLF) tells you that they fought for. The liberation of tigray.

Secondly, during the struggle the EPLF and TPLF came into a collision course precisely for this reason. The EPLF didn't agree with their quest for independence and the TPLF opted to cut off relations.

Later, after the EPLF destroyed the nadew ez in Afabet they came back hat in hand when they saw the writing on the wall. But, all of that was tactical. They gleefully accepted the Eritrean referendum and independence with the ultimate goal to come back later (after acquiring wealth from Ethiopia because tigray is destitute and human resources to use them as cannon fodder), overthrow the Eritrean gov't and declare a tigray republic with access to the sea.

You're a djiboutian, aren't you? And you can read the headline of this thread, can't you? It's about Eritrea and Ethiopia, therefore that makes you a foreigner.

[Zack]

They never truly aspired to independence had that been their genuine ambition, they would have fought tootht ot nail to achieve it. The TPLF never pursued a concrete separatist agenda while they may have entertained the notion in theory and some other people might have propogated it because of tigray nationalism, they never took real steps towards its realisation. Their ultimate objective was always to govern Ethiopia as long as they could , not to secede from it. Even at moments when separation was both a viable and logical course of action, they deliberately didnt do it reaffirming their commitment to Ethiopian state rather than the establishment of an independent tigray republic sebhat nega and meles never really had an issue with eritrean independence though some of the shabian leaders might have had an issue with tigray independence though it would have been great imagine Eritrea tigray and Ethiopia all living side by side less bloodshed Ethiopia much weaker even oromia and gurage to be independent.

Dr Zackovich

[Zmeselo]

They have a Manifesto on it, which they've never rescinded.

As for the viability of their percieved state, it's something entirely different. Tigray is very poor and can't stand on its own, hence the idea of incorporating Eritrea and its seashore. How to achieve that? By acquiring wealth and manpower to die for them from Ethiopia proper, as they attempted in 1998-00, and then ditch the country.

Learn from those who know:

http://www.dehai.org/conflict/analysis/alemsghed1.html