By Addisu Bahta
The reported statement attributed to Andargachew Tsege regarding a possible alliance between Fano and the TPLF raises grave and painful questions for the people of Tigray. According to the claim, such an alliance would require the TPLF to accept that Welkayt, Humera, and Raya belong to Amhara and to permanently abandon any future claim over these areas.
In my view, there is a deeply troubling possibility that the group in Tigray claiming to represent the regional government, may already be considering or may even have informally agreed to—the conditions reportedly linked to a Fano–TPLF alliance. Their silence and delay in giving a clear public response raise serious doubts.
It is possible that they are taking time to measure public reaction before openly confirming any position. If that is the case, it would be a betrayal of the people of Tigray, especially the displaced communities from Welkayt, Humera, and Raya who have endured violence, dispossession, and years away from their homes.
No political party, transitional authority, or individual leader has the moral or legal right to trade away a constitutionally protected rights including Tigray’s administrative region and the future of displaced Tigrayans in exchange for a short-term political alliance. These questions must not be decided through secret negotiations, external pressure, or arrangements designed by forces whose interests are hostile to Tigray.
This is not a minor political concession. It is not an ordinary negotiation. It is a question of the rights, safety, dignity, and future of hundreds of thousands of Tigrayans especially those forcibly displaced from Western Tigray and other areas. No party, leader, or armed group has the right to trade away their homes, land, identity, or constitutional rights in exchange for a temporary political or military alliance.
Andargachew Tsege cannot reasonably be viewed as an independent voice in this matter. Many Ethiopians and Tigrayans regard him as closely aligned with the political interests of Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki. His reported remarks must therefore be understood within the wider context of Eritrea’s role in Ethiopia’s internal conflicts and the devastating suffering imposed on the people of Tigray.
If he is advancing ideas shaped or endorsed by external actors, then this is not merely a proposal for cooperation between Ethiopian political forces. It is an attempt to pressure Tigray into surrendering the rights of its displaced people and abandoning long-standing constitutional claims over Welkayt, Humera, and Raya.
Those promises cannot now be quietly discarded behind closed doors.
The people of Tigray deserve the full truth. If negotiations, agreements, or political understandings are taking place over Welkayt, Humera, or Raya, they must be disclosed openly. The affected communities must be heard. Displaced people must have a central voice in any process that determines their future. Secrecy is unacceptable when the issue concerns people’s homes, citizenship, security, and right of return.
Welkayt, Humera, and Raya are not bargaining chips. They are home to communities whose rights cannot be erased through political deals. Any agreement that ignores displaced Tigrayans, silences their voices, or blocks their return cannot produce genuine peace. It will only deepen mistrust, institutionalize injustice, and prolong the suffering of innocent people.
To supporters of every political group in Tigray, loyalty must never be blind. Supporting a party or movement does not require silence when leaders abandon their commitments. Every leader, regardless of their history or position, must be held accountable. The people must demand honesty, transparency, and unwavering commitment to the rights of displaced Tigrayans.
No alliance is more valuable than the dignity and rights of the people. No political calculation justifies abandoning families who were driven from their homes. No deal should erase the suffering of displaced communities
