Welkait question

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The Welkait question involves a controversial territorial dispute surrounding the Ethiopian area Welkait, which is situated in the present-day Amhara Region. Welkait had been an independent area but was incorporated within Begmeder province as the population traditionally has been closer to the Amharic-speaking area of Gonder than to Tigray, but both Amharic and Tigrinya languages are used in daily life,^[1] but also other languages such as Arabic since the region is close to the Sudanece border. But after the fall of the Derg in 1991, the area was given by the TPLF government to Tigray's Western Zone ^[2] , after it held and dominated national power at Addis ababa, without the consent of the indigenous people of Welkait nor of the people of its mother region, Begmeder, and the Ethiopian people at large.Subsequently, local people of Welkait started demanding for self determination, which was met with violent repression by the TPLF of Tigray, large scale human right abuse and killing was commonplace. TPLF also attempted to change the demography of the area by settling hundreds of thousands of Tigrayans from the Tigray region while forcefully expelling indigenous Welkaites form their land resulting in tens of thousands seeking refuge to Sudan. During Abiy Ahmed administration, the Tigray and Welkait Committee counterparts held peaceful talks in Gondar on 19 April 2018. Abiy pleaded the Welkait question should be addressed in peaceful resolution.^[3]

Tigrayan claims[edit]

Welkait was historically its own province until 1944 when it was incorporated into Begmeder. Tigrayan claims to Welkait is thus tenuous, mainly based on the fact that Welkait is multilingual, also speaking Tigrigna in addition to the main spoken language in the area, Amharic. Tigrayan political elite also lay claim to Welkait by citing the current Ethiopian constitution however the current Ethiopian constitution is largely regarded as a document produced only by the TPLF when it held and dominated Ethiopian governmental power starting from 1991. The "constitution" is drafted, put to work and has been interpreted by Tigrayan elite in a way that benefits their interest at the expense of all other Ethiopians. The "constitution" is thus regarded as the source of all evil in Ethiopia and lacks legitimacy. In addition, Welkait was annexed to Tigray before the current constitution was even written and adopted. As a result, tigrayan elite's claims of using the constitution as a basis to settle the Welkait controversy is shortsighted at best or deceitful at worse, and can not lead to a peaceful lasting solution.

Amhara claims[edit]

After the Derg collapse, the TPLF annexed Welkait into Western Tigray and began harassing, deporting, killing, and arresting people identified with Amhara.^[3][4][5] At least 5,000 Amharas displaced and hundreds of thousands Tigrayans settled to Welkait.^[6] Many people were forced to speak Tigrinya language, and rivers, lakes, mountains, spring and cities were changed from Amharic to Tigrinya. Discriminatory practices were almost 95% at governmental workplaces, where some Tigrayans displaced Amhara farmers and took their land.^[6]

In 2015, Amharas from Begmeder formed Welkait Amhara Identity Question Committee and collected 25,000 signatures. They submitted the signatory letters to zonal, regional and federal offices on 17 December 2015. The result met with ambivalent responses; some argued for identity question while the others related it to border question, the former dealt with zonal level and the later with federal level. Otherwise, the Committee hold it through legitimate claims in accordance with the rule of law. Soon after, the TPLF government began arbitrary arrests and purges against the committee members. In July 2016, most of its members were detained in Gondar and transported to Addis Ababa's Central Prison.^[3] Coloniel Demeke Zewdu was one of a victims who rebelled to the soldiers and arrest him at night.^[7][8]

As the arbitrary arrests and tortures intensified, Welkait Committee members set off series of protests in Amhara Region, and along with cases in Oromia Region and other regions, large-scale protests were erupted across Ethiopia, calling for justice and democracy.^[9] Protestors expressed concern with unequal distribution of power and economic exploitation by TPLF government. After Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power, he met with Welkait Committee members in Goha Hotel, Gondar on 19 April 2018.^[3] In the meeting, Abiy pleaded to Tigrayan security force not harass and killing civilians as well as the Welkait question should be peacefully raised under constitution.^[10]

Still, the Tigray government continued atrocities around the annexed area. Many Amharas, who speak Amharic language and songs, were beaten, incarcerated and thrown from cliffs to death. In 2019, TPLF made youth group samri held many Amharas from Mai Kadra and summarily executed.^[11] Amidst the Tigray War in August 2021, TPLF spokesperson Getachew Reda told that TPLF was not ready for national dialogue to end the war and chose rebelling the government by financing several factions in Oromo and Qemant minorities. Contested areas in Western Tigray such as Welkait, Tsegede, Setit and Humera special zone were finally seized by the Amhara Special Force. In May 2021, a reconciliation dialogue held between Amhara and Tigrayan community members, and the Welkait Committee remain stable stance on the issue.^[12] According to Hiber Radio, the ENDF military forces withdrew from the area during Amhara Region conference with the Prosperity Party on 16 March 2023.^[13]

See also[edit]

• Welkait
• 2014–2016 Oromo protests

References[edit]