Like any two bordering people, the people of Tigray and Eritrea have had a long bond which included all the ups-and-downs of relationships: intermarriage, war, deportation, love and enmity. Here’s a brief timeline: see if you can detect a pattern.
1. #Tigray-#Tigrini: 1946-47.
An Eritrean movement of Tigrinya speakers demand union with Tigray. Tigray, which had already rebelled (Weyane 1.0) and been bombed for its efforts by Haile Selassie I (HSI), using the Brits’ Royal Air Force, was not all that interested in the Eritrean courting. A short-lived movement, Tigray-Tigrini was squeezed by pro-independence and pro-#Ethiopia parties. Dead by ‘48.
2. #EPLF-#TPLF (1974-1998):
Between the early alliance in 74, to toppling Mengistu in 91, there were bitter accusations and cones of silence. The destructive 98-00 war was followed by 17 years (01-18) of stalemate and proxy wars.
3. The Eritrean Opposition In Exile and the #TPLF (1999-2018):
Nineteen years of TPLF looking for those who are its cultural mates, and the Eritrean opposition kept presenting an alliance of Eritreans reflecting Eritrea’s diversity, including the ጥባሕ ጥባሕ people, resulting in constant reconfiguration of Eritrean oppo until Abiy’s emergence sent everybody packing.
4. The Agazian Movement (2016-2018):
A replica of the Tigray-Tigrinya Movement of 1940s in terms of the membership (Tigrinya speakers of Eritrea and Tigray) and territory: (Eritrea, Tigray and parts of Sudan.) The Tigray Tigrini people of the 1940s were serious people with serious thoughts and they had jobs. The 2016-18 version had a LOT of time on its hands and pondered the final question: “What is to be done with the people in our land who are not Agazian? Deportation? Concentration camps? And how more symbolically can we demonstrate our fealty to Zion?”
5. The #TigrayPrevails & #GameOver Years (2020-22):
This was a weird time when some Eritreans were more concerned about Tigray than Tigrayans and some Eritreans (including the Secretary of PFDJ) were more pro-Ethiopian unity than Ethiopians. The Brigade To Its Dirt and the Bright Future stood firmly with #TPLF (or its armed wing #TDF) and cursed the “invaders and looters” of the Eritrean Defense Forces with equal measure. Meanwhile the Brigade in Operation #GameOver was rolling towards Mekele. Then Abiy decided that he could use this battle-hardened TDF force to march to Assab: God knows they are sufficiently motivated, he thought.
6. The Xmdo Years (2024-Present):
Team #TigrayPrevails and Team #GameOver traded places. Team TigrayPrevails are for any side that is anti-PFDJ (therefore they support Abiy, who is hosting them) and Team #GameOver have discovered that, after all, we are OnePeople with Tigray and we should not let them be victimized by that Mean Abiy who was our bestie three years ago.
For a primer on how it all started, watch an interview of the legendary Herui T Bairou (ELF Number 2 until 1975) conducted in Amharic by ArtsTVWorld. And for how it is ending, watch Awel Seid and his ever expanding thumbnail of partners.
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