This modest article is prompted by analyst Alex De Waal's article published in the BBC News on July 1, 2021. The latter dwells specifically on General Tsadkan Gebretensae as a military general and as a person. Alex De Waal refers to international security analysts as dubbing the General to be "one of the finest military strategists of his generation in Africa." Never have I read an article about ex-TPLF's military commanders at this level, not to speak of an accolade of this magnitude. I remember that a magazine that used to be published in the USA titled 'Ethiopian Review' extolled Tsadkan's name in grand terms in one of its early editions back in 1993.
The organizational and military capability of the TPLF and its commanders are covered sparingly in the annals of history and are almost non-existent in the folklore of non-Tigrayans. This has actually prevented some from getting ready for surprises, such as the one that has come to transpire in Tigray this week – the reverberant victory of the Tigray Defense Forces. Otherwise, this development should not have come as a surprise, knowing that the people who have led the war against Abiy-Esayas armies are the very people who made victory against the Derg possible in 1991.
No military general hailing from the ranks of the TPLF has ever published a book on military history. Military giants like Siye and Tsadkan, who not only led an army to victory against an imposing enemy but also are architects of a military doctrine, have never written an article or two, forget a book, about their military adventures. This fact becomes stark given that these personalities are well-educated by any standard and can contribute books. Siye actually wrote an excellent book about justice in Ethiopia, focusing on his own experience as an accused of grand corruption.
I want to take a dip here into the very culture of the TPLF to give the whole matter a broad and meaningful context. I would like to stress once again that former TPLF commanders have noticeably been silent about their journey in their military career, Tsadkan being one of them. Generally, they hardly speak, let alone write about themselves and their military exploits. It is also remarkable that intellectuals who teach in Tigray's budding universities have not researched about these formidable personalities. I have never seen any published scholarly paper or book about the military history of the TPLF and its commanders. If these were in a western country, the likes of Tsadkan would have been a hot material for dozens of books by way of biographies.
The silence of these commanders and the loss of abundant historical materials, as a result, are regrettable, given that a good number of these men and women are passing away one after another. One wonders, therefore, if we should not wake up and step up to the task this time around. While their lives and personalities remain unexplored, these heroes and heroines are back to the bushes for another round, if shorter, military mission as if what they have achieved in the past was not resounding enough.
One aspect of acculturalization in the armed struggle in Tigray (1975-1991) was 'don't talk about oneself, only talk about collective bravery and achievement.' This was a carefully cultivated culture that is still alive. The adverse effect of this is that former TPLF commanders continue to be tight-lipped about their military journey. The main reason for this is found in the abhorrence of the TPLF leadership to 'personality cult'. For the TPLF, the cause remains to be much bigger than the individual, and everything else has to remain subservient to the larger goal of installing a new political order. Individuals are there to play a role as fighters-cum-politicians and pass as martyrs, and history belongs to the collective members. Another reinforcing factor in this regard is that bigshots like Meles and Siye, who I assume had a strong hand in shaping organizational culture, wrongly equated narration about military exploits with jingoism - a word used to depict the futility of romanticizing war and its actors.
The third variable that veiled history could be the TPLF's political desire to give credit to weak allies in the war, chiefly the EPDM (Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement). There was a prevailing pattern in the TPLF propaganda machine of painting the struggle against the Derg regime as broad-based and that the EPDM had an active role in it. In the face of such a claim, talking about TPLF's military prowess and its supremacy may be unpalatable.
Tsadkan has been an active military leader in three wars. In this connection, it is essential to remember that he was the Chief of Staff when Ethiopia decisively defeated Eritrea during the bloody war of 1998-2000. Arguably, there has not been any top brass general in Africa who has led armies to victory in three big wars over a space of five decades. It is a unique record that vastly warrants storytelling and narration, only absent for the reasons mentioned above.
Tsadkan, as Alex De Waal cited, is also a successful business person, entrepreneur, peace and security consultant, and political analyst. He embarked on these different roles in the interim two decades between his dismissal from power by Meles Zenawi and his involvement in the recent Tigrayan resistance. When he joined this resistance last November, he apparently left behind a significant material wealth and a comfortable life. In doing so, he must have made a conscious decision for an extreme Spartan life, only possible in wars such as the one taking place in Tigray.
Tsadkan and his comrades waged the war from a pathetically low base to fast build up a big army, as he has said recently in an hour-long interview with Dimtsi woyane. Starting from a low point, the Tigray Defense forces are currently on the verge of fully defeating an axis of powerful armies. Only the genius, the inspirational, and the committed leaders can achieve such a feat. Therefore, the capable from among us should, before it is too late, research and write stories about these great military generals. It will be a well-deserved tribute to these incredible individuals and will surely be an enduring gift for generations to come.
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