ANU Clarification Statement: Differentiating Tigray Civilians from the TPLF Political Structure.

ANU Clarification Statement

Subject: Differentiating Tigray Civilians from the TPLF Political Structure

The Agaezi National Union (ANU) wishes to make an essential distinction between the Tigray civilian population and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) as a political and military organization.

While the TPLF historically operated as a political actor within Ethiopia, it does not represent the entirety of the Tigrayan people nor their diverse social, cultural, and religious communities. The Tigray civilians—farmers, families, youth, elders, clergy, and displaced persons—constitute an innocent population that has suffered greatly from conflict and political manipulation.

ANU emphasizes that the Tigray people are not political combatants and must not be treated or portrayed as extensions of the TPLF.
The conflation of the two has led to humanitarian neglect, unjust blame, and the erosion of civilian protection under international law.

Accordingly:

• Humanitarian assistance and protection efforts should target civilians impartially, without political or military gatekeeping.

• Cultural and religious heritage sites in Tigray (and the broader Geezland region) must be protected as civilizational treasures, not political assets.

• Diplomatic and media references should carefully distinguish between TPLF leadership and structures versus Tigray’s civilian society.

• The voices of non-partisan Tigrayans—religious leaders, community elders, youth, and diaspora professionals—must be empowered in peace and reconciliation processes.

ANU calls on all international and regional partners to recognize this distinction and act to ensure that civilians in Tigray are shielded from collective punishment, scapegoating, and political hostage-taking.

Based on our political party proposition, here’s a careful, research-based way to differentiate the innocent Tigray community from the TPLF’s political identity — useful for diplomacy, documentation, and advocacy (like your ANU work):

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1. Clarify the Core Difference

🟩 Message for diplomats & media: “The Tigray civilian population must not be equated with the TPLF political elite. Civilians are stakeholders in peace, not combatants in war.”

2. Recognize the Mechanisms of “Hostage Politics”

The TPLF (like many armed movements worldwide) uses certain mechanisms to bind the people to its identity:

• Narrative control: Claiming “we are Tigray” delegitimizes alternative voices in Tigray.

• Forced mobilization: Young men and women conscripted or coerced into local militias.

• Information monopoly: Limiting media and NGO access, making the TPLF the only “spokesperson” for Tigray.

• Diaspora influence: Using global diaspora networks to frame all criticism of TPLF as “anti-Tigray.”

These tactics blur the line between community and party.
To counter that, the international community needs direct engagement with non-TPLF Tigrayan civil voices — religious leaders, youth groups, women’s associations, and independent civic networks.

3. Practical Steps to Differentiate the Civilian Community

a. Use neutral terminology

Avoid equating region and organization.
Say: “Civilians in Tigray region” instead of “the Tigrayans (controlled by TPLF).”

“TPLF combatants” or “TPLF political wing” instead of “the people of Tigray.”

b. Highlight pluralism within Tigray

Emphasize that Tigray is not monolithic:

• There are Tigrayan Orthodox, Catholic, Muslim, and traditional communities.

• Many Tigrayans disagreed with TPLF governance but lacked freedom to express it.

• Local elders, clergy, and intellectuals — many of whom suffered from the conflict — represent independent community perspectives.

c. Document civilian suffering separately from combatant losses

In human-rights reports or diplomatic briefings, always distinguish:

• Civilian casualties (non-combatants)

• Combatant casualties (TPLF/Federal/Eritrean troops)

This reinforces that civilians are not extensions of any political faction.

d. Empower neutral community structures

Encourage:

• Local faith-based reconciliation forums

• Independent humanitarian coordination committees

• Cultural preservation networks (e.g., protecting Geʽez monasteries, archives)
  These allow the Tigray community to speak and act beyond party control.

4. Policy Language for UN or Diplomatic Reports

You can safely and powerfully include phrases like:

“The Tigray region’s civilian population should not be conflated with the political or military leadership of the TPLF.”
“Civilians in Tigray are currently caught between armed actors, suffering displacement, famine, and heritage destruction.”
“Humanitarian and cultural protection must focus on civilians as rights-holders, not political instruments.”

5. Long-Term Peacebuilding Principle

True peace requires disentangling ethnic identity from party identity.
That means:

• Building civic institutions in Tigray that are not controlled by the TPLF.

• Supporting inclusive Tigrayan representation — youth, women, elders, clergy — in peace processes.

• Encouraging national dialogue that distinguishes between TPLF accountability and Tigrayan dignity.

 Summary

• TPLF ≠ Tigray people

• Tigray people ≠ TPLF members

• Civilians must be treated as protected communities, not political combatants.

• Advocacy, humanitarian aid, and diplomacy must address this distinction explicitly.

Dr. Aregawi Mebrahtu
ANU Global Leadership, Geneva
info@anu-party.org