ince all possible avenues for negotiation have been made inaccessible by TPLF’s intensified belligerence, sitting on the same table with the terrorist clique is impossible hereafter without the absolute changing of power, experts in the field opined.
Derese Getachew (PhD) told local media that sitting on the table to negotiate with insurgents without militarily neutralizing the threat is counterproductive for the government.
“Unless the balance of power on the ground is categorically altered, the rebel group could not be safe for Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa” he said, adding that the government’s permit to mediate with the outlaws in the current stage would give the leverage to the latter. The situation also creates the fertile ground for some western powers that are seeking to reinstate the crushed faction as the main political actor in Ethiopia.
As to him, TPLF has been pursuing a regime change over the past three years and orchestrating communal violence across the country with a view to overthrowing the reform leadership and reinstating a puppet government in Addis Ababa.
Noting the radical element understands that its system could never bring results, Derese highlighted that the crushed element is now pursuing four political goals. Accordingly, TPLF has made tireless efforts to undermine the power of the federal government in a bid to facilitate the collapse of the country.
“Secondly, the clique has been working to encourage and initiate the people of Tigray and civilians to join its war efforts. Provoking military confrontations with the federal government as well as Afar and Amhara states is the rebels’ third goal.”
“The last aim is to seek negotiation with the federal government via western countries’ pressure thereby keeping existence.”
It is evident that some western powers have made attempts to revive the dead faction and pressured the Ethiopian government to embrace the preconditioned negotiations. Having realized the people of Ethiopia have rejected any attempts of interference, these powers have tried to push the government to negotiate with the dissenting element in the auspices of the African Union.
The government has made a unilateral cease-fire aiming at providing people with access to humanitarian assistance, repairing the damaged infrastructure and finding solutions, but the TPLF took advantage and attacked Amhara and Afar states in a violation of the truce.
Colonel Derese Tekle, a veteran military officer, said for his part that following the unilateral ceasefire, the rebel group has been executing a wide range of crimes against the civilian population in Amhara and Afar states. “TPLF had a strategy to control and close the main routes in these areas to enable it to negotiate with the federal government, but its attempts were aborted.”
BY TSEGAYE TILAHUN
The Ethiopian Herald 9 September 2021