I remember a time when simply saying the word Tigray could get you arrested in Ethiopia. When displaying the Tigray flag was illegal, when playing Tigrinya music in Addis Ababa could land you in jail, and when even carrying a Tigrayan name could make you a target.
TDF fought to the death to ensure those days would never return. Yet today, some proudly wave the flag and play the music while tarnishing the very force that helped protect their identity and resist persecution.
Never forget: Abiy Ahmed’s primary objective was to eradicate Tigray as we know it. The TDF stood in the way and made that impossible.
You can never rewrite history or forget the price paid for the freedom to be openly Tigrayan. Never forget who fought to ensure your identity would never again be treated as a crime.
occupier performing for the camera showing off his weapon, blasting hip-hop musing; Trying to intimidate. all this right across our Martyrs' Memorial Monument @reda_getachew thank you for bringing this kind of disrespect to our city
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The irony in this argument is that you accuse everyone else of “miscalculation” while ignoring the contradiction at the center of Ethiopia’s current military posture.
For months, Ethiopian political and military officials have increasingly framed Eritrea as a security threat while Ethiopia’s leadership has continued to emphasize its strategic need for Red Sea access, including access through Eritrean territory. Analysts have explicitly warned that the Tigray conflict could provide a pretext for a broader confrontation with Eritrea.
So when you describe what is happening in Tigray simply as a TPLF Isaias “unholy alliance,” you conveniently erase the larger geopolitical picture. If the ultimate objective is Eritrea and its strategic position on the Red Sea, then Tigray cannot be treated as merely the battlefield where that confrontation is prepared or fought.
And where was this concern for “miscalculation” when ENDF drone strikes and military operations were hitting Tigrayan communities? The EU has specifically expressed concern over repeated ENDF drone strikes and their impact on civilians and humanitarian operations.
You cannot remain silent while Tigray is bombed and then suddenly discover your concern for Tigray when discussing political alliances.
Tigrayans should not be sacrificed in an Ethiopia–Eritrea geopolitical confrontation. Tigray is not a military corridor, a buffer zone, or a launching pad for ambitions over Eritrean territory or Red Sea access.
If Ethiopia’s military campaign is truly about “liberating Tigray,” then why is the strategic conversation increasingly centered on Eritrea, its territory, and its ports?
That is the contradiction your argument completely fails to address.
Taking calculated risk has never been the strong suit of the rump TPLF’s leadership. This was more than borne out by its recent disastrous miscalculation. What is more striking is how that trademark miscalculation was further compounded by the unholy alliance the TPLF leadership made with the father of disastrous miscalculations, Isaias Afeworki of Eritrea, not to mention the miscalculation of the other junior partners in this unholy alliance.
As it turns out, by making an unholy alliance the TPLF leadership and president Isaias have proved, if anything, their tremendous capacity to bring down with them all those who have the stupidity to count on their wisdom, and to absolute oblivion. History seems to have passed a rather cruel verdict on President Isaias’ penchant for geopolitical gamble. That, alliance with its worst enemy, the TPLF, is about to prove the undoing of the Grand fool in Asmara is the most cruel of ironies.
Eritrean troops have reportedly entered deep into Tigray territory. If you have consistently opposed ENDF’s presence in Tigray on the grounds that it constitutes an illegal occupation, it is difficult to reconcile that position with supporting or justifying another foreign military presence inside Tigray.
TDF withdrew from Mekele to avoid exactly what is happening today in Adwa and Axum. Yet the same forces bombing our cities into ashes are now trying to convince Tigrayans that they are coming to “save Tigray from the TDF” while turning Tigray’s cities to ash in the process.
The contradiction speaks for itself: how can you claim to be saving Tigray while destroying the very cities and communities you claim to be fighting for?
🚨 UPDATE: Following relentless aerial bombardment of urban centers across Tigray by the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF), the Tigray Defense Forces (TDF) and their allied formations have reportedly shifted their operational focus toward the mountainous terrain.
The strategic shift could fundamentally alter the battlefield dynamics. Mountainous terrain offers potential advantages in concealment, defensive positioning, and the exploitation of difficult air-to-ground engagement conditions. It may also present new operational challenges for ENDF drone surveillance and strike capabilities.
With the reported establishment of a TDF air force, the evolving situation introduces a potential new dimension to the conflict, raising questions about future aerial capabilities, battlefield surveillance, and the balance of airpower in the region.
