Tsimdo: A Historic Opportunity for Peace in the Horn of Africa

By Justice for the voiceless

When I saw Eritrea’s January 1 letter to the United Nations regarding Tsimdo, I felt a sense of hope. To me, it was a sign that the sun may be rising again for the people of the Horn of Africa who have endured decades of poverty, conflict, displacement, and suffering.

I will not spend time assigning blame or revisiting every dispute of the past. The politics of the Horn of Africa are complex, involving numerous stakeholders, regional rivalries, and international interests. The full story is far larger than any one individual or group.

Many of us hoped that the fall of the Derg regime and the emergence of two young leaders, Meles Zenawi and Isaias Afwerki, would transform the region into a model of peace and prosperity. Instead, the Horn of Africa became a zone of recurring conflict. Former comrades-in-arms who sacrificed greatly for each other’s liberation eventually turned their weapons against one another.

Both leaders were patriots in their own way committed, intelligent, educated, and deeply engaged in global affairs. Why they could not ultimately resolve their differences peacefully remains a question that many ordinary people still struggle to understand. Yet history teaches us that lasting peace requires trust, respect, patience, and a willingness to compromise.

Meles Zenawi and Isaias Afwerki were very different individuals, each with strengths and weaknesses. Regardless of political views, few can deny their dedication to what they believed was in the best interest of their people. Looking back, one can acknowledge that Meles’s policies helped elevate Ethiopia’s economic, military, and diplomatic influence for more than two decades. Eritrea, despite facing significant challenges and criticism, managed to preserve its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and diplomatic independence in a difficult geopolitical environment. And has become the region’s most important political power.

Today, rather than remaining trapped by the divisions of the past, peace-loving people should welcome every genuine opportunity for reconciliation. Tsimdo represents such an opportunity. Unlike many top-down political initiatives, it seeks to rebuild relationships from the grassroots level among communities whose histories, cultures, families, and destinies have long been interconnected.

Unfortunately, there are still individuals and groups who seek to preserve old hostilities for political, economic, or personal interests. They continue to inflame wounds and spread mistrust among innocent people. Such efforts only prolong suffering and delay development.

My message to all peace-loving people is simple: no one benefits from war and revenge. We cannot bring back those we lost yesterday by taking more lives today. We cannot recover lost years by creating new conflicts. We cannot regain missed opportunities for development while wasting today’s opportunities through hatred and division.

Yesterday is gone and cannot be changed. Today is the opportunity we possess. Tomorrow is the future we can still shape.

We should not pass the same conflicts and grievances to future generations. As we evaluate the successes and failures of previous generations, we must also learn from their sacrifices and build a better future for our children and grandchildren.

This is a historic moment. It is an opportunity that should not be wasted.

Let us support leaders who choose dialogue over war. Let us appreciate efforts by leaders in Tigray who have rejected renewed conflict with Eritrea and the Amhara people. Let us recognize Eritrea’s efforts toward regional peace initiatives and its role in bringing Tsimdo to international attention. Let us also thank the many individuals working quietly at the grassroots level to strengthen understanding and cooperation among communities.

Most importantly, let us commit ourselves to a future built on peace, justice, reconciliation, prosperity, and mutual respect.

The people of Tigray, Eritrea, and the wider Horn of Africa deserve a future defined not by conflict, but by cooperation; not by revenge, but by reconciliation; and not by fear, but by hope.

The choice is ours. Let us choose peace. Let us support Tsimdo.