Leaked Document in Ethiopia Reveals Foreign Powers Armed TPLF

September 6, 2022

Borkena

An alleged leaked document from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) has been circulating on social media. Somewhat it was a focus of news content creators too. 

It is unusual to hear about stories of the “leaked document” from TPLF since the time it was dominating central power in Ethiopia.  There could be several possibilities about the intent of documents like these. 

While not forgetting the question of whether TPLF, given its history of tight party secrecy, would handle secrets in a way that could possibly leak. What makes the latest one different, in some sense, is that the Ethiopian Defense Force is remarking on it.  

One of the key revelations in the document, according to the Defense Force statement, is the acquisition of what the TPLF described as a “modern weapon” from its foreign partners. 

“Despite that, we still have to coordinate with our foreign and internal collaborators to create conditions to enable our foreign partners to continue to deliver out with modern weapons as this chapter of the operation [apparently a reference to the third round of the military operation in the Afar and Amhara region] is bitter and one that would demand several sacrifices.” 

The document also revealed that the TPLF plans to work with forces in the Somali region of Ethiopia and even Al Shabaab operatives in the region. It is to be recalled that Al-Shabab fighters entered as deep as 150 kilometers into Ethiopia from the southeast direction with the aim to move to the Oromo region of Ethiopia to coordinate with radical ethnic Oromo nationalist forces that have been massacring innocent civilians in the region for over four years now. 

Months into the first round of the war foreign powers have been accusing Ethiopia of not providing unfettered access to the Tigray region of Ethiopia for humanitarian activity. There had even been calls for the removal of checkpoints in the Tigray region. 

The relationship between western powers with the leadership of the United States and the TPLF has been seen with a great deal of skepticism. For many Ethiopian activists, the United States diligently worked to make the TPLF politically relevant after a devastating military defeat in the first round of the war. 

In the second round, there was even hope that TPLF would make it to the capital Addis Ababa. Media outlets like CNN had been reporting that the TPLF forces were on the outskirts of Addis Ababa. It was obviously untrue. 

Regarding the supply of weapons, in a recent public appearance, Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed said that his government knew that a weapon was being delivered to the TPLF with a direct flight to Shire. And he insinuated that planes delivering the weapon were flying from Sudan. 

A week or so ago, the Ethiopian Defense Force claimed that it downed an Antonov plane that was carrying weapons to the TPLF. 

The TPLF has not yet remarked about the “leaked document.” 

Another question that is unclear from the revelation shared by the Ethiopian Defense Force is “who exactly is TPLF’s foreign partner?”  

It is something that is not yet revealed.