Araweelo News Network.
Tigrayans (Tigray) in Diaspora are just skeptical of the so-called peace agreement. In essence an agreement between the TPLF and the government of Ethiopia to coexist. After signing the peace agreement in Pretoria, South Africa, in which was agreed to disarm the Tigray Defence Forces (TDF), the spoke person of TPLF came with a statement saying: “……..We are fighting not because we are a trigger happy nation but because our survival as a people is at stake. If a peace agreement can ensure our survival, why not give it a try?!”
Well, what are the people of Tigray going to do if that “tries” fails?! Is the reasoning behind this, ‘well we have already lost more than a half a million people so, an additional thousands of casualties won’t matter? The first few days after signing the so-called peace agreement four places in Tigray have been bombed and battles have erupted in other places. There was still no humanitarian access, and basic services- banking, food, and clean water- have yet to be restored in Tigray.
This week the TPLF and the government of Ethiopia have continued their talks in Nairobi about implementing the peace deal. There is a condition now to the disarmament of heavy weapons by TDF. It has been said that TDF will do it concurrently with the withdrawal of foreign (Eritrean) forces and non Ethiopian National Defence Forces (Amhara militias) from the region.
Will the president of Eritrea collaborate since he also worked closely with Amhara militias? I highly doubt it. Looking at his past, making war is what he does. Under his regime Eritrean citizens are either involved in a war or preparing for a war. At this moment parents are even forced to send their children to a war, because Isaias Afewerki has a “point” to prove.
What is also very interesting from the peace deal is that there is a precise schedule for disarmament of TDF, but nothing of that sort for humanitarian aid. Does that mean that humanitarian aid is still a negotiating tool for the Ethiopian government? Extreme caution is required on behalf of the people in Tigray in implementing the peace deal and in dealing with all political entities in the peace deal.
Laying the roadmap for implementation in Nairobi of the peace agreement signed in Pretoria.
Writing by Dr. Ahmed Hassan Salah and first published this article on Araweelo News Network. Salah is a writer and diplomat who comments on politics and international relations and advocates for Somaliland’s identity. He has published articles and videos on the way Somaliland can legally get its identity, which have been published on the Araweelo News Network.