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After the fall of the Derg regime in Ethiopia and the liberation of Eritrea in 1991, the Sudanese government restricted the activities of Eritrean opposition groups on Sudanese territory.
Having lost opportunities to do business in Sudan, most moved to Ethiopia and stayed there until Abiy Ahmed came to power in 2018.
Several Eritrean opposition groups have failed to establish close ties with Ethiopia, and only a few have maintained close ties with the Tigray regional government.
All contacts with the Ethiopian government are monitored by BroadCast Unitedligence agencies.
In 2020, domestic relations in Ethiopia deteriorated seriously and escalated into a full-scale war.
The war has dealt a severe blow to the operations of Eritrean opposition factions, some of which have kept a low profile or gone underground, while others have tied their fate to that of the Tigray National Defense Forces.
As the war spread, Eritrean troops moved deep into Tigray, fighting alongside Ethiopian federal government forces. The war displaced thousands of Tigrayans, destroyed many villages, and left the region plagued by famine.
Senior Tigrayan officials and commanders have accused Muslim elements in the Eritrean military of committing atrocities and other damage in Tigray; Tigrayan diaspora media have echoed these sentiments.
The situation has been exacerbated by sectarian rhetoric from Tigray elites, including TDF generals, who in a video interview coined the slogan “TbaH-TbaH,” pointing to the tribal scars on the faces of some Eritrean Muslim soldiers.
Historically, Eritrean Muslims have been suspicious of Tigray, viewing it as a “source of prejudice, sectarianism, language and ethnic unrest.”
Soon, the word “confession” became popular, repeated in speeches, private conversations and on social media. A significant number of Eritreans, especially Muslims, decided to re-align themselves with the Popular Front regime to fight this slander.
One prominent figure who until recently was critical of the Eritrean government explained: “The Tigrayans are carrying out a campaign to defame Muslims, and I will not remain silent about the suffering that Eritreans have endured for decades.”
The anxiety caused by similar threats has led some Eritreans to return to Eritrea, with some publicly expressing their decision to realign with the Government.
Many who had travelled to Eritrea with great enthusiasm over the past few months have returned disappointed. One of them told Gedab News: “I was saddened to see that the People’s Front for Democracy and Justice was unwilling to change its exclusionary policies, and I gave up.”
Although the exodus from Eritrea has been going on for years, it has increased dramatically in recent years, with some healthy Eritreans fleeing to Ethiopia for medical treatment.
The informant added: “Regrettably, our view of the Palestinian People’s Democratic and Justice Front fluctuates and is blurred due to its relationship with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and Ethiopia.”
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