Western Tigray: History Defies Abiy’s Ambitions
Introduction
Western Tigray’s historical boundaries, as rigorously documented in this archive of academic and cartographic evidence, reaffirm what Tigrayans have always known: this land is ours, rooted in centuries of identity, governance, and cultural continuity.
Today, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s administration—driven by Oromo-centered ambitions and empowered by the Prosperity Party’s core support base—seeks to forcibly disown and occupy Western Tigray. This is not merely a domestic maneuver, but a calculated strategy: one that exploits interethnic grievances, especially between Tigrayans and Amhara, to entrench a new political order under Oromo dominance.
The rhetoric surrounding a so-called “Begemider reclaiming” is as historically flawed as it is politically reckless. It offers false hope to the people of Gondar while serving a deeper agenda of weakening Tigrayan autonomy and distracting from broader power consolidation at the federal level.
Yet history cannot be rewritten by convenience or propaganda. Ethiopia’s current constitution—though often challenged in implementation—remains one of Africa’s most progressive, rooted in the recognition of its nations, nationalities, and peoples. It offers a legal and peaceful path to address grievances and border claims, grounded in self-determination and democratic process.
The international community must hold Ethiopia accountable to these 21st-century principles, and must urge restraint, dialogue, and a return to constitutional mechanisms—not occupation and displacement—as the path forward.
The scholarship of Professor Jan Nyssen and others stands as a bulwark of truth in this climate of distortion, validating Tigray’s historical and natural claim to Western Tigray with rigor and credibility.
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English