[ad_1]
Major General Teklebirhan Woldearegay was one of the top officials in the federal government during the 27 years of the federal government-dominated Federal People’s Liberation Front of Tigray. Now confined to Mekelle after TPLF lost dominance over federal power, he says we are fighting to free Tigray. Our fight was not for Ethiopia.
Borkena
April 26, 2020
Maj. Gen. Teklebirhan Woldearegay, a former chief executive of the Information Network Security Agency, one of Ethiopia’s intelligence apparatuses, has an approximately two-hour interview with Tigray Media House.
He spoke about the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), what he thinks about why TPLF failed, and what should be the focus now for ethnic Tigray nationalists and the influence of regional and global state actors in Ethiopia, among others. themes.
The TPLF manifesto in the 1970s declared the establishment of the Tigray ethnic republic as the main objective of the organization’s armed struggle. However, TPLF leaders, including the late Meles Zenawi, denied having fought to separate Tigray from the rest of Ethiopia.
The former TPLF combatant and director of the Information Network Security Agency, Major General Teklebirhan Woldearegay, bluntly said they are fighting to free Tigray.
He regretted that one of the TPLF’s political mistakes was the formation of the EPRDF coalition that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed dissolved to form a single united party.
Major General Teklebirhan Woldearegay was the head of Abiy Ahmed at the Information Network Security Agency, but he fired him. “I fired him because he became politically active,” he said.
When asked what he thinks of Abiy Ahmed’s government now, he said it is “telalaki” (which could be translated as a puppet or mercenary government).
He sees what he calls imperialist interventions from the western and Gulf countries. The influence of the Gulf region is also motivated by religion, he said. “The Chinese imperialist presence is economic, but in the long run it could change policy,” he added.
M, General Teklebrihan is one of the few TPLF elites to have been in a superior position in the federal government during a good part of the TPLF-dominated administration for 27 years. However, he did not shy away from expressing his deep hatred for Ethiopia. He made numerous negative claims including “there has never been a state in Ethiopia”. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government is a “parasite” and that “Ethiopia as a country cannot be reformed.”
The focus of Tigray’s nationalists should be “to be themselves,” he argues. He was referring to Ethiopia’s secession, but again openly said he does not like the label of “secession.” It is added with propagandistic significance for the pro-Ethiopian camp, he says. The least that Tigray should aim for is “confederation.”
At one point, he declared that TPLF lost power because “the gravity of the Menelik-era institutions was heavy.” Looking back, he said, “Now I’m sorry I learned Amharic in the elementary schools.”
The two-part interview with the Tigray Media house was in Amharic. Parts I and II are presented below:
Video: Embedded from YouTube channel Tigray Media House
Cover photo: video screenshot
Join the conversation. Like borkena on Facebook and receive updates from Ethiopian News regularly. Also, you can receive news from Ethiopia by following us on Twitter @zborkena
[ad_2]
