After over 30 years of dominating the Horn of Africa region, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) was finally defeated by Ethiopian forces in November 2022.
The junta had terrorized people in Ethiopia and the entire Horn of Africa region, including carrying out the 2006 genocide in Somalia. The decisive defeat of the TPLF has had a significant impact on the stability of the Horn of Africa.
The TPLF had been a major destabilizing force in the region for many years. They had been in power in Ethiopia since 1991 and had used their influence to control much of the political and economic activities in the country and the region respectively.
They had also been heavily involved in Somalia, where they had supported a number of different warlords and had also played a major role in the 2006 invasion into Somalia.
The group had long been seen as a tool of the Western countries in the region. They had been provided with military and economic assistance by the United States which had seen it as a key ally in the fight against terrorism.
However, despite supporting it, the U.S. had also been concerned about the TPLF’s human rights record and their use of force and heavy-handed tactics against civilians, but chose to look the other way instead.
The fall of the group’s brutal regime saw The Horn of Africa is rejoicing at last, thanks to the allied Ethiopian and Eritrean troops months-long military operations that ultimately forced the junta to accept peace negotiations that ended the conflict in the Northern Ethiopia region.
Both the Ethiopian National Defense Forces and their allies from the neighbouring Eritrea who have long suffered the group’s destabilizing activities, were able to drive the TPLF out of power and restore order to the region.
This has, in fact, helped to reduce the level of violence and instability in Ethiopia and Somalia and has created a more positive environment for economic development and regional cooperation.
SOMALIA REJOICE
The TPLF had been in power in Ethiopia for over two decades until they were ousted in 2018. Following their loss of Ethiopia’s leadership, the notorious junta attempted to regain power through force and initiated a conflict in the Tigray region. This conflict which has led to a humanitarian crisis and destabilized the entire region was brought to a end by the allied forces who were able to defeat TPLF and restore stability.
One of the key ways in which the defeat of the TPLF has contributed to stability in the Horn of Africa is by removing their influence over Somalia.
The TPLF had been heavily involved in Somalia’s political and military affairs, often imposing their will on the government and using force to maintain control for many years. This had led to a lack of stability in Somalia and had made it difficult for the government to make progress in terms of governance and development.
Now that the TPLF has been removed from power in Ethiopia, their influence over Somalia has also been significantly diminished. The removal of the TPLF has also reduced the level of violence and conflict in the region, as it has been a significant contributor to instability as the group had exerted significant influence over governments for many years.
While challenges remain, the removal of the TPLF has provided an opportunity for the region to move forward towards a more stable and prosperous future.
ADDIS-ASMARA RAPPROCHEMENT
In response to the significant agreement between Eritrea and Ethiopia, which deeply unsettled the TPLF due to their long-standing enmity towards Eritrea.
The peace agreement which for the grouo represented a bitter pill to swallow saw its forces launched a coordinated attack on the Northern Command headquarters of the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) and several other bases in the region.
The Ethiopian Defense Forces (ENDF) counterattacked and initiated what Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed then referred as ‘law enforcement operations.’
TPLF also fired missiles targeting Asmara, the Capital of Eritrea, provoking Eritrea into the war which saw its troops allegedly fighting alongside Ethiopian troops.
After successfully agreeing on the ceasefire that brought an end to the bloody conflict that lasted more than two decades and claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands, the leaders Abiy Ahmed and Asaias Afwerki were honored with the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of their role in resolving the hostilities.
PRETORIA PEACE DEAL
Peace negotiations began on October 25, 2022 in South Africa between the Federal Government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The TPLF, recognizing the imminent military defeat it faced, made the decision to engage in peace talks, ultimately leading to the resolution of the conflict through a final peace settlement agreed upon by both parties.
The TPLF has since been effectively disarmed, bringing an end to the decades-long destabilization instigated by its leaders.
Experts in the region believe that TPLF’s tactics of sowing division and promoting discord, commonly known as ‘divide and rule,’ have also been definitively put to rest and buried in the annals of history.
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