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78-412: Debre Tabor is served by an airport ( ICAO code HADT, IATA DBT). Authorities differ over the facts of its founding. Locals say Seyfa Ared IV ( Amharic : ሰይፈ አርድ ፬ኛ) (1294–1295) discovered Debre Tabor in the 13th century. Mordechai Abir states that it was founded by Ras Ali I ; however, Richard Pankhurst gives a detailed account of its foundation by Ras Gugsa , and includes the tradition that

156-702: A "preemptive strike". In November 2020, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed declared victory over the TPLF. Other sources suggested that the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) controlled only about 70% of the Tigray region. Many TPLF members joined the Tigray Defense Forces (TDF). The TPLF has accused the ENDF and Eritrean forces of war crimes, but it is difficult to independently verify these allegations because of

234-593: A Chinese road-building team and missionaries of the Seventh Day Adventist Church who ran a local hospital. Government control was reestablished within a month. In late December 1989, Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) forces captured Debre Tabor, claiming that they killed or wounded more than 8,000 government troops. Around 20 January 1990, the Ethiopian News Agency announced that government forces had recaptured Debre Tabor. A few days later,

312-687: A TPLF-loyal splinter group from the EPRP, used caves in Melfa (Dogu'a Tembien) . The TPLF managed to use the catastrophic famine of 1983-85 to its advantage. In early 1985, it organized a march of over 200,000 famine victims from Tigray to Sudan to draw international attention to the plight in Tigray. Its humanitarian arm, the Relief Society of Tigray (REST), founded in 1978, received large amounts of international humanitarian aid for famine victims and small-scale development projects in liberated Tigray. In 1984–1985,

390-423: A developed country "if it is guided by 'revolutionary democracy'", adding that while "liberal democracy is partial wager, a collector of rents, and a representative of the comprador bourgeoisie, 'revolutionary democracy' stands for sustainable development." This marked the point at which TLPF abandoned Marxism-Leninism in favour of socialism and revolutionary ethnonationalism, moving closer to its initial position from

468-512: A few successful raids bolstered its military credibility, the TPLF grew to only about 120 fighters in early 1976, but a rapidly growing clandestine network of supporters in the cities and a support base among the peasants provided vital supplies and information. On February 18, 1976, a conference of fighters elected a new leadership: Berhu (chairman), Muse (military committee), Abbay (political committee), Agazi (socioeconomic committee), Seyoum (foreign relations), Gidey, and Sebhat. Meles became head of

546-617: A first language by 99.26%, while 92.62% of the population practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity and 6.15% of the population said they were Muslim . Debre Tabor Airport Debre Tabor Airport is an airport in the town of Debre Tabor , in northern Ethiopia ( IATA : DBT , ICAO : HADT ). As part of its counter-offensive in the Tigray War , on 18 August 2021, the Tigray People's Liberation Front tried to take control of Debre Tabor Airport but failed. This article about

624-539: A location in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about an airport in Ethiopia is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Tigray People%27s Liberation Front The Tigray People's Liberation Front ( TPLF ; Tigrinya : ህዝባዊ ወያነ ሓርነት ትግራይ , romanized:  Həzbawi Wäyyanä Ḥarənnät Təgray , lit.   'Popular Struggle for

702-502: A new political program calling for self-determination within a democratic Ethiopia, with independence an option only if unity proved impossible. Gaining and maintaining the support of the local population was at the core of the TPLF's strategy in the 1970s and 1980s. TPLF leaders knew that the goodwill of the population would sustain their movement and ultimately lead them to victory over the Derg. Consequently, any fighter caught mistreating locals

780-534: A perpetrator in the Global Terrorism Database, based on ten incidents occurring between 1976 and 1990 (see GTD link). In 2021, the Ethiopia federal government passed a parliamentary resolution classifying the TPLF as a terrorist organization. According to Article 23, "this decision applies to organizations and individuals that collaborate with, have links with, or are associated with the ideas and actions of

858-674: A political coalition, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). It fought a 15-year-long war against the Derg regime, which was overthrown on 28 May 1991. The TPLF, with the support of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF), overthrew the government of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (PDRE) on May 28, 1991, and installed a new government that remained in power for decades. The new ruling EPRDF government,

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936-501: A program of change based on multi-party politics , constitutional democracy, ethno-linguistic federalization , and a mixed economy . The TPLF restructured the Ethiopian state and introduced ethnic federalism , which has contributed significantly to civil conflicts in Ethiopia over the following decades. Under the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), the nation was governed by TPLF leader Meles Zenawi who became

1014-512: A revolutionary, democratic Ethiopia. While the multinational leftist movements prioritized class struggle over national self-determination for the Ethiopian nationalities, the Marxists of the TUSA argued for self-determination as the starting point for the final socialist revolution because of the existing inequalities among the Ethiopian nationalities. In February 1974, the Marxists within TUSA welcomed

1092-411: A stage where all the oppressed nations of Ethiopia can no more undertake a common class struggle." The TPLF castigated the formation of the centralized empire state during the conquests of Menelik II as, "the beginning of national oppression" in the groups manifesto. Initially the group called for independence of Tigray from Ethiopia, arguing that it is the only way to liberate Ethiopian cultures from

1170-605: Is April, with an average high of 75°F and low of 57°F. The cool season lasts for 2.1 months, from July 11 to September 13, with an average daily high temperature below 66°F. The coldest month of the year in Debre Tabor is August, with an average low of 54°F and high of 64°F. Based on the 2007 national census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this town had a total population of 55,596, of whom 27,644 were male and 27,952 female. The majority of

1248-463: Is a collection of nationalities subjugated by the Amhara ethnic group, which imposes its culture and language over all others; the first manifesto of the party stated: "Disagreement and suspicion among the nations of Ethiopia have resulted from the worsening of the oppression by the Amhara ethnic group over the oppressed nations of Ethiopia and especially over the Tigray ethnic group. Therefore, we now reached

1326-407: Is being backed by the Ethiopian federal government. There is a growing risk the internal split will escalate into the outbreak of violence as it becomes more intractable. In the period following, Debretsion's faction removed Getachew and several other officials from their roles in the administration, claiming they "no longer have the authority to lead, make decisions, or issue directives." In response,

1404-550: The Bank of Ethiopia was created in 1931 it opened a branch office with two employees at Debre Tabor. During the Second Italian-Abyssinian War , Debre Tabor was occupied by unit which advanced from Bahir Dar on 28 April. During the occupation , a telegraph office was opened in the town and postal service restored. The Italians also constructed a road from Gondar via Debre Tabor to Dessie . The first mosque in Debre Tabor

1482-880: The Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) for support, but the ELF already had relations with the TLF. In November 1974, the EPLF agreed to train TNO members and allowed EPLF fighters from the Tigrayan community in Eritrea , including Mehari Tekle (Mussie), to join the TPLF. The first group of trainees was sent to the EPLF in January 1975. On the night of 18 February 1975, eleven men, including Gesese Ayyele (Sehul), Gidey, Asfeha, Seyoum, Agazi, and Berhu, left Enda Selassie for Sehul's home area of Dedebit , where they founded

1560-708: The Ethiopian Revolution but opposed the Derg (a military junta that ruled Ethiopia from 1974 to 1991), as they were convinced that it would neither lead a genuine socialist revolution nor correctly resolve the Ethiopian nationality question . Two days after the Derg took power, on 14 September 1974, seven leaders of this trend established the Association of Progressives of the Tigray Nation ( Tigrinya : ማሕበር ገስገስቲ ብሔረ ትግራይ , Maḥbär Gäsgästi Bəḥer Təgray ), also known as

1638-405: The Ethiopian parliament —to which the TPLF was a party—voted to postpone the 2021 Ethiopian General Election , which was originally scheduled to occur in 2020. The TPLF defied the parliamentary vote and held regional elections anyway. The 2020 Tigray regional election was held on 9 September 2020. 2.7 million people participated in the election, though was it was boycotted by Arena Tigray and

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1716-699: The National Election Board of Ethiopia terminated the party's legal status. In 2021, the Ethiopian House of Peoples' Representatives formally approved a parliamentary resolution designating the TPLF as a terrorist organization . On 2 November 2022, the African Union brokered a deal in Pretoria , South Africa, between the federal government and the TPLF to end the Tigray War. As per the peace agreement,

1794-662: The Tigray Democratic Party . PM Abiy stated that the federal government would not recognize the results of the Tigray election and banned foreign journalists from traveling to the region document it. In November 2020, a civil conflict erupted between the TPLF and the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) when the TPLF attacked the ENDF Northern Command headquarters in the north of the country in what TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda described as

1872-474: The interim regional government . He claimed that this faction within the TPLF has escalated from merely obstructing his government to actively plotting to overthrow it. Elections from 1995 to 2015 were conducted under the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front banner. The party has its roots in the 1960s student movement which was ideologically nationalist before shifting towards Marxism–Leninism in late 1960s. After revolutionary students formed

1950-559: The 1970s. The United States government removed the TPLF's classification as a Tier III level terrorist group when the group came to power in 1991. However, an analysis by the Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium (TRAC) also classified it as a terrorist group dating back to 1976. According to the TRAC: The Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF) is a political party in Tigray, Ethiopia that has been listed as

2028-514: The Albanian communist model of Enver Hoxha , stressing self-reliant economy and every nation having its unique way towards socialism. After the fall of the USSR, the TPLF moderated itself and rebranded its ideology as "revolutionary democracy", pledging to introduce a new kind of democracy in Ethiopia that would differ from the liberal democratic structure, while also maintaining the core socialist values of

2106-517: The Debretsion and Getachew has raised concerns of the creation of a volatile political environment that could reignite the civil war. The TPLF also suffers a crisis of legitimacy among the Tigrayan population following the war. In July 2024, the TPLF released a statement announcing it faced an unprecedented 'severe test' that has brought the party to the verge of disintegration. The statement accused senior leaders of putting their personal interests above

2184-670: The Derg, the front's handling of famine and refugee problems, and the foreign connections it built through its mission in Khartoum , enabled the movement to mobilize and better equip more fighters to prepare for the shift from guerrilla to frontal attack. Moreover, developments within the TPLF in the mid-1980s led to a conceptual shift from a struggle for the liberation of Tigray to that of all Ethiopia. They established their headquarters in caves in Addi Geza'iti , some 50 kilometers west of Mekelle . The Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement (EPDM),

2262-712: The Free Officers Movement, which had been formed in 1987 by exiled Ethiopian officers in opposition to the Derg. In May 1990, Oromo members of the EPDM and politically re-educated Oromo prisoners of war founded the Oromo Peoples' Democratic Organization (OPDO) to deny the Oromo Liberation Front 's claim to be the exclusive representative of the Ethiopian Oromo. In November 1990, a Marxist–Leninist Oromo movement

2340-617: The Freedom of Tigray'), also known as the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front , is a left-wing ethnic nationalist , paramilitary group, and the former ruling party of Ethiopia . It was classified as a terrorist organization by the Ethiopian government during the Tigray War until its removal from the list in 2023. In older and less formal texts and speech it is known as Woyane ( Tigrinya : ወያነ , lit.   'Revolutionary') or Weyané ( Amharic : ወያኔ ). The TPLF

2418-676: The Political Association of Tigrayans (PAT) in 1972 and the Tigrayan University Students' Association (TUSA) beginning in the early 1960s. These student groups evolved into a radical nationalist group that operated in Tigray after the start of the Ethiopian revolution in 1974, and began calling for Tigrayan independence, forming the Tigray Liberation Front (TLF). Meanwhile, a Marxist current emerged in TUSA that advocated national self-determination for Tigray within

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2496-536: The Pretoria agreement and threatening the peace. Debretsion stated that the congress was unprecedented and warned those gathered that the party's situation had "gone from bad to worse". Since the 14th party congress, factionalism within the TPLF escalated as both sides became more entrenched in their positions. Debretsion effectively has popular support and power over the TPLF party apparatus, while Getachew maintains authority over Tigray's interim regional government and

2574-492: The TPLF (original name Tigrinya : ተጋድሎ ሓርነት ሕዝቢ ትግራይ , Tägadlo Ḥarənnät Ḥəzbi Təgray , "The Popular Struggle for the Freedom of Tigray"). Welde Selassie Nega (Sebhat), Legese Zenawi (Meles), and others soon joined the original group, and, after the arrival of the trainees from Eritrea in June 1975, the TPLF had about 50 fighters. It then elected a formal leadership consisting of Sehul (the chairman), Muse (the military commander), and

2652-458: The TPLF and EPLF to put aside their differences and resume military cooperation. in 1989, the EPRDF formed a shadow government in Ethiopia to administer the liberated areas under its control. In February 1991, the EPRDF began its offensive against the ruling regime with the support of a large EPLF contingent. On May 28, 1991, the EPRDF captured Addis Ababa , the capital of Ethiopia, and took control of

2730-429: The TPLF began disarming in January 2023. Following the Pretoria peace agreement in 2022, the TPLF began experiencing severe internal divisions . The TPLF is considered to be the product of the marginalization of Tigrayans within Ethiopia after Menelik II of Shewa became emperor in 1889. The Tigrayan traditional elite and peasantry had a strong regional identity and a resentment due to their own perception of

2808-505: The TPLF diverted Western aid money intended for starving civilians to purchase weapons. A power struggle in the leadership saw future Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi rise to power during 1985. In July 1985, the Marxist–Leninist League of Tigray (MLLT) was founded at a congress of a few hundred selected cadres. The MLLT was to be the nucleus of the future Marxist–Leninist vanguard party for all Ethiopia. The MLLT invited

2886-558: The TPLF's land reform. Relations with the EPLF also did not develop smoothly. Its material support was much less than the TPLF had anticipated. Politically, the EPLF favored the multinational EPRP over the ethno regionalist TPLF with its separatist agenda at the time. After the Derg's victory in the Ogaden War in February 1978 and Mengistu Haile Mariam 's new support from the Soviets permitted

2964-580: The Tigray University Student Association, a new leftwing organization known as the Tigrayan National Organization was founded in 1974, from which the TPLF emerged in February 1975. The core ideology of the party was ethnonationalism infused with the theme of a class-based - ethnonationalism is the fundamental foundation of the party and it persisted throughout the entire existence of the TPLF. The TPLF argues that Ethiopia

3042-474: The Tigrayan National Organization (TNO). The founders were: Alemseged Mengesha ( nom de guerre : Haylu), Ammaha Tsehay (Abbay), Aregawi Berhe (Berhu), Embay Mesfin (Seyoum), Fentahun Zere'atsion (Gidey), Mulugeta Hagos (Asfeha), and Zeru Gesese (Agazi). The TNO was to prepare the ground for the future armed movement in Tigray. It secretly approached both the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF) and

3120-508: The chairman of the EPRDF unified the constituent parties of the coalition into the new Prosperity Party . The TPLF viewed this merger as illegal and did not participate. Abiy called on the TPLF to dissolve and become part of his newly established Prosperity Party . Many TPLF leaders began shifting from the nation's capital of Addis Ababa to the Tigray regional state capital of Mekelle . In this period

3198-406: The clandestine radio of the TPLF claimed a major victory in battles near Debre Tabor on 22–24 January 1990, claiming their soldiers had killed 3,914 government troops and captured 270. Although the town was retaken by government troops a few days later, the TPLF, announced the recapture of the town after a three-day battle in late February. About a year later, on 23 February 1990, the town was used as

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3276-417: The command of Guglielmo Nasi , who by this point was the acting Viceroy and Governor-General of Italian East Africa . In 1958, Debre Tabor was one of 27 places in Ethiopia ranked as First Class Township. Near the beginning of Derg rule, Debre Tabor was seized by a group of local landlords and their followers in opposition to the government September 1975, killing the provincial governor and expelling both

3354-404: The congress. Getachew described it as, "illegal movements by a group that does not represent the TPLF" several days before it was due to be held.  Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed warned that the TPLF could find itself in a war if it went ahead with holding the congress. As the six day long meeting commenced on 13 August, an Ethiopian government minister accused the TPLF of "practically nullifying"

3432-522: The country. In July 1991, the EPRDF established the Transitional Government of Ethiopia . In May 1991, the TPLF had 80,000 fighters, the EPDM had 8,000, and the OPDO had 2,000. The total number of TPLF members was well over 100,000. Reacting to the international political context after the demise of communism , the EPRDF and TPLF dropped all Marxist references in their political discourse and adopted

3510-469: The decline of Tigray. It was popularly referred to as Woyane, for evoking memories of the armed revolt of 1942–43 (the First Woyane) against the re-establishment of imperial rule after Italian occupation remained alive and provided an important reference for the new generations of educated Tigrayan nationalists. At Haile Selassie I University (now Addis Ababa University), Tigrayan students had formed

3588-419: The designated terrorist organizations, as well as others that have undertaken similar activities". Individuals or organizations that carry out " humanitarian activities", however, are exempt under Ethiopia's Anti-Terrorism Proclamation 1176/2020. On November 3, 2022, the Ethiopian government and the nationalist paramilitary group entered into a peace agreement, ending their two-year conflict. A draft agreement

3666-473: The dominance of the party emerged across the country during 2016. Amhara and Oromo elites came to an agreement to reform the TPLF created system, resulting in the accession of Abiy Ahmed to Prime Minister of Ethiopia in the following years. Internal power struggles within the EPRDF and its inability to quell popular protests resulted in a major political transition and Abiy Ahmed's election in 2018. During 2018, newly elected prime minister Abiy began curtailing

3744-734: The emperor was in residence. If he was present, the population could reach 30,000 as it did under Emperor Yohannes; if he was not, it would be around 5,000 people. Debre Tabor was sacked by an army from the province of Lasta in 1835. The Battle of Debre Tabor was fought nearby on February 6, 1842; although Dejazmach Wube Haile Maryam and his allies defeated the armies of Ras Ali II and sacked Debre Tabor once again, they were surprised while celebrating their victory by Birru Aligas , an ally of Ras Ali, who captured Wube and his son and extracted concessions from them in return for their release. Ras Ali built four churches in Debre Tabor: Iyasus on

3822-459: The ethnic and national oppression of the Amhara culture. However, separatism was abandoned in 1978, which subsequently led to defections and splits within the party. It was increasingly dominated by a faction known as the Marxist–Leninist League of Tigray , which took over the leadership of the party and proclaimed Marxism–Leninism to be the organization's overarching ideology. The party's ideological shift made Marxist aspects temporarily dominate over

3900-417: The ethnonationalist ones, though the party remained ethnonationalist and envisioned a 'national revolution' that would install "a planned socialist economy free of exploitation of man by man". Core Marxist aspects embraced by the TPLF included vanguardism, democratic centralism, dictatorship of the proletariat, and also self-determination in the name of national liberation. The party was also heavily influence by

3978-500: The first prime minister. The EPRDF government, particularly in areas concerning the military-security complex and the economy, was dominated by the TPLF. Gradually the TPLF hegemony within the EPRDF grew stronger as the party dominated Ethiopia's federal administrations and the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) officer corps. The party exercised, "near-exclusive control over foreign aid, international loans, and

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4056-506: The genuine revolutionaries in the ranks of the Derg regime, which was busy organizing its own communist party , the Ethiopian Workers' Party , to join it. In December 1988, the TPLF and EPDM formed the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) as the core of the planned United Democratic Front. In the spring of 1989, first the MLLT and then the TPLF held a congress. Abbay

4134-426: The influence and position of the TPLF within Ethiopian politics. In June of that year he unexpectedly sacked the two most powerful TPLF members since Zenawi's death - Samora Yunis (army chief of staff) and Getachew Assef (intelligence chief). The party felt threatened as Abiy carried out significant reforms that aimed to merge Ethiopia's ethnic parties and reduce the TPLF's influence. In November 2019, PM Abiy and

4212-458: The inhabitants practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity , with 96.72% reporting that as their religion, while 2.54% of the population said they were Muslim . The 1994 national census reported a total population for Debre Tabor of 22,455 in 4,700 households, of whom 10,564 were male and 11,891 were female. The largest ethnic group reported in this town was the Amhara (98.93%); Amharic was spoken as

4290-401: The interim administration has accused Debretsion's group of attempting to destabilize Tigray through a coup d'état . Getachews administration has warned that it would pursue legal action against Debretsion's faction for allegedly sowing "chaos and anarchy". On 10 November 2024, Getachew released a statement declaring that Debretsion Gebremichael 's TPLF was plotting an 'official coup' against

4368-571: The issue of TPLF registration and legality had been resolved. NEBE also warned against the convening a congress without the election boards approval or monitoring. On 13 August 2024, the TPLF began its controversial 14th party congress in Mekelle , ignoring the NEBE's warning. The last congress had been held in September 2018. 14 members of the party's central committee, including deputy chair Getachew , boycotted

4446-411: The jumping-off point for Operation Tewodros . In early August 2021, Debre Tabor was the site of fierce clashes between Fano militiamen and the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF). Debre Tabor have a comfortable climate all year round. The warm season lasts for 4.3 months, from January 30 to June 8, with an average daily high temperature above 73°F. The hottest month of the year in Debre Tabor

4524-421: The leasing of public land to amass billions of dollars." With the EPRDF effectively under TPLF control, the Tigrayan position in Ethiopian governance post-1991 mirrored the political dominance that Amhara's had held in the country during most of the 20th century. PM Meles Zenawi purged many members of the TPLF who opposed him, and a 2001 split in the party nearly saw his removal. Following Zenawi's death in 2012,

4602-515: The location was selected with supernatural help. In either case, Debre Tabor was the seat of the Regents of the Emperor in the 18th and 19th centuries, from which periods several churches and the ruins of two palaces survive. Debre Tabor was the capital of Ethiopia under two Emperors : Tewodros II and Yohannes IV . As a result, in the 19th century the population of this town varied depending on whether

4680-563: The media blackout imposed by the federal government under Abiy. On March 23, 2021, in response to international pressure, the prime minister admitted for the first time that Eritrean forces had been in the Tigray region. In July 2021, after the Ethiopian government declared a unilateral cease-fire and withdrew from much of the Tigray region, the TDF entered neighboring Afar and Amhara regions . The ENDF then launched its own counteroffensive and recaptured these regions by December 2021. By March 2022,

4758-523: The mountain to the southeast, Ennatitu Maryam and Legitu Maryam to the east, and Tegur Mikael to the north. A second palace was built for his mother, the Empress Menen Liben Amede , which was not as large as Ras Ali's. Although he burnt the town in May 1853, following Ras Ali's defeat, Emperor Tewodros used Debre Tabor as his capital until his situation weakened so badly that he was forced to abandon

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4836-596: The organization quickly splintered into factions of Meles loyalists, young technocrats in Addis and party officials in Mekelle . These factions took a wide range of positions on core issues, paralyzing the TPLF. Zenawi's handpicked successor, Halemariam Desalegn , proved too weak to manage growing internal strife in Ethiopia. Over the years the TPLF's position in the EPRDF weakened as Amhara and Oromo parties pushed backed against Tigrayan dominance. After 30 years of TPLF-based authoritarian rule, strong popular opposition to

4914-430: The organization recruited a substantial amount of fighters from different groups such as the police and paramilitary organizations, while also withdrawing its supporters from the Ethiopian national security establishment. This precipitated the Tigray War in late 2020. As TPLF leaders and parliament members began shifting back to Mekelle, the organization began to challenge the administration of Abiy Ahmed. In June 2020,

4992-481: The parents of minors who refused to enlist. After the Tigray War significantly reshaped the region's political landscape, the TPLF faced deepening divisions following the signing of the Pretoria Agreement . These divisions emerged between two factions: a 'hardline' group led by TPLF chairman Debretsion Gebremichael and a 'conciliatory' group led by deputy chairperson Getachew Reda . The power struggle between

5070-431: The party, thus threatening its existence. During August 2024, the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) rejected the TPLF's request to reinstate its pre-war legal status. On 12 August, chairman Debretsion declared that NEBE's decision undermined the TPLF's 50-year legacy and violated the Pretoria deal which had ended the Tigray War during November 2022. Following the decision, the federal government announced that

5148-509: The party. The concept of revolutionary democracy came from Lenin's 1919 thesis "Bourgeois Democracy and the Proletarian Dictatorship", which proposed replacing the 'bourgeois' parliamentary democracy with revolutionary democracy, which would be secured by a vanguard party representing the masses, which would consult its constituency while still adhering to the socialist ideological guidelines. Meles Zenawi wrote that Ethiopia can become

5226-638: The political cadre school. The first three years of its existence were marked by a constant struggle for survival, unstable cooperation with Eritrean forces, and power struggles against the other Tigrayan fronts: in 1975, the TPLF liquidated the TLF; in 1976–78, it fought the Ethiopian Democratic Union (EDU) in Shire ; and in 1978, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party (EPRP) in East Tigray. The front also suffered heavy losses from Derg offensives in

5304-437: The region. Although the TPLF, the ELF, and the EPLF cooperated during the 1976 and 1978 Derg offensives in Tigray and Eritrea, no stable alliance emerged. The ELF resented the liquidation of the TLF and considered the relationship between the EPLF and the TPLF a serious threat. Since 1977, there had been conflict between ELF and the TPLF over the issue of Eritrean settlers in western Tigray, who were organized at ELF and rejected

5382-526: The seven TNO founders. Berhu was appointed political commissar. Sehul played a crucial role in helping the nascent TPLF establish itself among the local peasantry. The TPLF embraced a Marxist vision focused on 'radical decentralization' of the Ethiopian state. In contrast to the Eritrean and Somali liberation movements, the TPLF sought not independence, but the overthrow of the central government to establish its own revolutionary framework for Ethiopia. Although

5460-483: The substantial growth of his forces, the TPLF's momentum seemed to slow. During the TPLFs early years, the Derg was primarily focused on the Eritrean and Somali insurgencies , allowing it to avoid the full force of the Ethiopian military as its numbers grew to 20,000 strong. In February 1979, the TPLF held its first regular congress. It declared its struggle the Second Woyane ( kalay wäyyanä ) and changed its Tigrinya name to Həzbawi Wäyyanä Harənnät Təgray . It adopted

5538-454: The town in the last year of his reign in 1867 for his stronghold on Maqdala . The Emperor Yohannes IV often resided at Debre Tabor, and during his reign Heruy Giyorgis church was built. Here the Emperor met with General Gordon in October 1878, who was representing the Egyptian government, about Ethiopian demands for access to the Red Sea . It was also in Debre Tabor that Tekle Haymanot was crowned Negus of Gojjam in January 1881. When

5616-471: The war had come to a virtual standstill. On 2 November 2022, the Pretoria Peace Agreement was signed, ending the Tigray War . The TPLF was accused of forcing recruitment into the TDF, including minors. According to several witnesses and Tigrayan administrators, every household in Tigray was required to enlist a family member in the TDF. Those who refused were arrested and imprisoned, including

5694-489: Was constructed and eucalyptus planting extended. Despite these improvements, as early as August 1937, there were almost simultaneous but apparently uncoordinated attacks by arbegnoch on garrisons near Debre Tabor and near Bahir Dar. After several months of attacks, the British convinced Colonel Angelini to surrender the town 6 July 1941, allowing the British to advance towards the organized Italian resistance around Gondar under

5772-433: Was dominated by the TPLF, who gradually consolidated control over Ethiopia's federal administrations, the ENDF, and key economic resources such as foreign aid, loans, and land leases, amassing billions. The TPLF's restructuring of Ethiopia into an ethnic federal state further fueled civil conflicts in the ensuing decades. The TPLF lost control of the federal government in 2018. During the Tigray War that began in 2020,

5850-611: Was elected chairman of both organizations, but toward the end of 1989 Meles became chairman of both. In May 1989, the EPDM formed the Ethiopian Marxist–Leninist Force (EMLF). In July 1989, MLLT and EMLF formed the Union of Ethiopian Proletarian Organizations. In April 1990, the TPLF formed the Ethiopian Democratic Officers Movement from politically re-educated captured Ethiopian officers to undermine

5928-627: Was established within the OPDO. Also in 1990, the TPLF formed the Afar Democratic Union to undermine the Afar movements. It had already helped build liberation fronts in Gambella and Benshangul before 1985. In early 1988, the EPLF and the TPLF went on the offensive. The evolving situation in both Eritrea and Tigray, as well as the changing international context after the breakup of the Soviet bloc , prompted

6006-543: Was founded on February 18, 1975, in Dedebit , Tigray . Within 16 years, it grew from about a dozen men to become the most powerful armed liberation movement in Ethiopia. Unlike the Eritrean or Somali liberation fronts at the time, the TPLF did not seek independence from the Ethiopian state; instead, it aimed to overthrow the central government and implement its own version of the Ethiopian revolution . From 1988 to 2018, it led

6084-422: Was punished or even executed by TPLF authorities. As a result, local support for the TPLF was consistent and invaluable. The local population shared food and resources with the fighters, provided them with safe havens, and, most importantly, provided the TPLF with up-to-date information. In retrospect, it is evident that the 1978-1985 period further strengthened the TPLF. The increasingly alienating intervention of

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