The following is an English Translation of a June 27 FR Politik an interview published journalist VonJohannes Dieterich.
Von Johannes Dieterich:
Mr Getachew, the TDF has launched an offensive against the Eritrean and Ethiopian armed forces. Is it successful?
Getachew Reda:
Definitely. In the past few days we have wiped out two brigades from the 31st and two brigades from the 11th Ethiopian Division. The soldiers were armed to the teeth and had heavy artillery, howitzers and mortars. We captured more than 2,000 soldiers. Because the ratio between captured and killed soldiers is usually 1: 3, we assume that we killed over 6,000 soldiers.
Von Johannes Dieterich:
And how many have you lost?
Getachew Reda:
Several dozen. Since the fighting began last November, our 4th Army has only lost 160 people, but killed tens of thousands of Abiy Ahmed's soldiers. The commander of our 4th Army recently told me that even killing becomes tiresome at some point. The numerical superiority of our opponents still exists: We have tens of thousands of fighters, who face 1.1 million Eritrean and Ethiopian soldiers.
Von Johannes Dieterich:
What do you want to achieve militarily?
Getachew Reda:
We will retake Tigray and make sure none of our opponents can attack us again.
Von Johannes Dieterich:
That sounds ambitious.
Getachew Reda:
We can count on the support of the population and know how to fight. 99 percent of the Ethiopian wars were fought here in Tigray.
Von Johannes Dieterich:
Civilians have never suffered as much from the fighting as they do today. The TDF is involved in this. Whenever you attack, the other side will take revenge on the population.
Getachew Reda:
Our cat and mouse game marked the first chapter of liberation. We will change these tactics. In the future, we will keep control of the regions that we have captured. And Samre, where we are right now, becomes our center.
Von Johannes Dieterich:
And your enemy has to swallow it that easy?
Getachew Reda:
Abiy Ahmed's troops hardly give us any headaches. They run away after the first shots.
Von Johannes Dieterich:
And the Eritreans?
Getachew Reda:
For them this conflict is a struggle for survival. If you lose in Tigray, you will lose at home too. We have to weaken them to such an extent that they no longer pose a threat to us. If your President Isaias Afewerki should also be killed in the process, that is fine with us. And when they leave Tigray, we will follow them.
Von Johannes Dieterich:
Up to the Eritrean capital Asmara?
Getachew Reda:
If that is necessary to destroy their military capacity, why not? But I believe that the Eritreans want to fight the conflict here.
Von Johannes Dieterich:
Even if you do succeed in defeating your enemies, Tigray's position will be quite hopeless. Wedged between two hostile powers, with no chance of economic independence.
Getachew Reda:
So we have to make sure not to be cooped up. Even if we have to destroy all of Abiy Ahmed's armed forces. Our people must be able to live here in safety.
Von Johannes Dieterich:
At some point, however, you will have to speak to Abiy Ahmed and Isaias Afewerki. Such a conflict cannot be resolved militarily.
Getachew Reda:
The political solution is our self-determination. It could be guaranteed by our independence. Until recently, I was a staunch supporter of the Ethiopian idea, also as a minister in Addis Ababa. But now we are no longer interested in having a say in the fate of Ethiopia. We care about our own safety.
Von Johannes Dieterich:
Do you think Abiy will guarantee this one day?
Getachew Reda:
If you knew how politics work in Addis Ababa, you wouldn't be asking that question. Once the military capacity of the Ethiopian armed forces is decimated, there is no reason for Abiy Ahmed's government to continue. His raison d'étre is then over.
Von Johannes Dieterich:
The conflict over Tigray is not the only one threatening to tear Ethiopia apart. The existing tensions between Oromo and Amhara could be even more disastrous. Some see parallels to Yugoslavia ...
Getachew Reda:
... that's exactly how it could end.
Von Johannes Dieterich:
Is there a foreign power that can still prevent that?
Getachew Reda:
We do not expect salvation from the international community. First and foremost, Tigray's government needs to be reinstated. And then we must hold those responsible for the crimes committed over the past few months to account.
Von Johannes Dieterich:
Your party, the TPLF, is accused of leading a fairly authoritarian regime in Ethiopia for decades.
Getachew Reda:
The TPLF wasn't the only ruling party. There were also the Oromo, the Amharic and Somali coalition partners. However, we are ready to face the courts if there is evidence of our wrongdoing. Indeed, I am convinced that the government should have responded to the mass protests of the Oromo youth in 2015 and 2016 in a more peaceful way. We should take responsibility for not doing this.
Von Johannes Dieterich:
How did the hatred between Eritreans and Tigray become so merciless?
Getachew Reda:
Afewerki ruled Eritrea for decades like a medieval prince with an iron fist. He made us responsible to his people for their bitter poverty. The Eritreans lack the courage to hold their leaders accountable for their misery. Now they are venting their anger on us, for which I have no understanding whatsoever.
Von Johannes Dieterich:
The TPLF has a reputation problem with the rest of the Ethiopian population. It is accused of dominating the country's politics and reserving key government and military posts for Tigray.
Getachew Reda:
This is what the Amhara elite say.
Von Johannes Dieterich:
Many Oromo say that too.
Getachew Reda:
We have become Ethiopia's scapegoat. We are blamed for all errors of the government, including those of the Oromo or Amhara. We can't force anyone to like us. If the Amhara have problems living with us, then we will just insist on our independence. We are very hardworking people. Even under the Derg military rule, most of the business people lived in Tigray. Under Abiy Ahmed, the number of Amharic businessmen has multiplied. If they are successful, the Amhara see it as their merit. If they fail, it is Tigray's fault.
