Open Letter to the Tigray Peace Force: Now Earn the Name

Ermias A.

For days, many Tegaru have condemned the Tigray Peace Force (TPF) for fighting alongside the federal government. Others see you as an alternative to the political status quo.

I don’t intend to settle that argument here. Nor am I interested in declaring who fired the first shot. What matters now is the developing crisis in our capital city, Mekelle.

Ten days into the fighting, the battlefield has changed dramatically. Today, October 3, Ethiopian federal forces and their allies regained control of Alula Aba Nega Airport in Mekelle, according to multiple sources. Tigrayan fighters have reportedly been withdrawing from parts of Mekelle, while concerns are growing about a security vacuum and possible looting.

And that brings me to you, the Tigray Peace Force.

Your Name Now Comes With a Responsibility

For months, your opponents have called you renegades, collaborators and traitors.

You have presented yourselves differently—as Tegaru seeking political change, reconciliation and a different future for Tigray. Now you may have an opportunity to prove what you actually stand for.

Your commander, Brigadier General Gebreegziabher “Wedi Antiru” Beyene, has publicly said that Tigrayan soldiers, militia and police should not consider themselves enemies of the TPF. He has also pledged “no revenge.”

Those are powerful words. But words are no longer enough.

If you enter Mekelle, earn your name. Be the Tigray Peace Force.

Not the Tigray Revenge Force.

Not another victorious army settling old scores.

Not another political organization replacing one monopoly with another.

Mekelle Will Be Your Test

If you assume security responsibilities in Mekelle, your first mission should not be political control.

Protect the people.

Protect civilians—including people who openly opposed you.

Protect TPLF members who surrender or put down their weapons.

Protect government offices, hospitals, universities, banks, businesses and private homes from looting.

Protect journalists and allow competing political voices to speak.

Do not tolerate revenge killings, arbitrary arrests, humiliation or collective punishment. And do not allow anyone to use your advance to settle personal scores.

Reports from Mekelle already describe residents worried about abandoned government facilities, looting and the breakdown of law and order. That should be your immediate priority.

Restore order without creating fear.

Don’t Replace One Political Monopoly With Another

If your stated objective is political reform, then demonstrate it.

Don’t simply replace the TPLF with the TPF.

Open the political space.

Let the TPLF and other opposition parties compete. Let independents compete. Let young Tegaru organize without asking permission from another political establishment.

Let the people decide who governs them.

And when the security situation permits, push for a credible political process in which power comes from votes rather than guns.

That would be a far more consequential achievement than capturing an airport.

Then Change the Conversation

Tigray has buried enough young people.

Our next competition should not be over who commands the strongest army. It should be over who can rebuild Tigray fastest.

Bring displaced people home.

Rebuild schools and hospitals.

Restore universities.

Create jobs.

Reopen businesses.

Repair infrastructure.

Demand accountability for atrocities regardless of who committed them.

And push Addis Ababa, the diaspora and the international community toward something Tigray desperately needs:

A “Marshall Plan” for Reconstruction

The Tigray Peace Force is approaching perhaps its most important moment.

Military victories can change who controls territory. They cannot create legitimacy.

What happens after the guns fall silent will determine what the name “Tigray Peace Force” ultimately means.

If you enter Mekelle, don’t enter as conquerors.

Enter as Tegaru.

Protect your people.

Reject revenge.

Open the political space.

And then help us rebuild.

Earn the name: Tigray Peace Force.