Tigray People's Liberation Front
 |
|
| Chairman | Abay Weldu |
| Deputy Chairman | Debretsion Gebremichael |
| Founded | 18 February 1975 |
| Headquarters | Mekelle, Tigray Region, Ethiopia |
| Newspaper | Weyin (ወይን) |
| Ideology |
Current: Tigrayan self-determination Until 1991: Marxism |
| National affiliation | Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front |
| Colors | Red & Yellow |
The Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF) (Ge'ez: ህወሓት), known more commonly and sometimes as Weyane or Second Weyane (Ge'ez: ወያነ/ ካልኣይ ወያነ) (Ge'ez: ህዝባዊ ወያነ ሓርነት ትግራይ, Tigrinya: ህዝባዊ ወያነ ሓርነት ትግራይ (ሕወሓት), "Popular revolution (for) the freedom of Tigray") is a political party in Tigray, Ethiopia. At the last legislative elections, the party was the main part of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, that claimed 499 out of 547 seats.
In the August 2005 Regional assembly elections, the party claimed victory, winning all 152 seats in the Tigray Region.
TPLF is organized with a Central Committee and a politburo. Prior to its victory in the Ethiopian Civil War, TPLF was divided into four regional organizations, three in Tigray and the fourth those who reside outside of Tigray. Each of the regions in Tigray had politburo members coordinating their activities. The foreign committee supervised subdivisions in Sudan, Middle East, Europe and North America.
On 14 September 1974 a group of seven university students (Fantahun (Gidey) Zeratsion, Alemseged (Hailu) Mengesha, Berihu (Aregawi) Berehe, Zeri’u (Agazi) Gessesse, Mulugeta (Asfaha) Hagos, Ambay (Seyoum) Mesfin and Amaha (Abay) Tsehaye) in Addis Ababa formed the Tigrayan National Organization (Ge'ez: ማሕበር ገስገስቲ ብሄረ ትግራይ, "Association of Progressives from Tigray Nation"). TNO formed clandestine cells and carried out propaganda work amongst the people. During the 1974 popular uprising, TNO played an important role in mobilizing the people of Tigray. After the takeover by the Derg junta, TNO claimed that armed struggle was necessary to remove the new regime. On 8 February 1975, the TNO was transformed into the TPLF (Tigrayan People's Liberation Front). The then newly formed front created the TPLF Manifesto in which it asserted its primary mission was to secede from the wider Ethiopian state, and create an independent Tigray state. The Tigray state map was extended from the Tekeze river in the Northwest to the Northeast of the Afar region. However, after much discussion, this mission was quickly abandoned and updated to exercise the right of Ethiopian people to self-determination. They soon established their first military base at Dedebit in Tigray, and began political and military preparations. The Eritrean People's Liberation Front assisted in the military preparations of the TPLF by providing them with the arms and other supplies. Throughout the Ethiopian Civil War, both groups were allied against the Derg.
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