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Ethiopia: Update to ETH24933.E of 6 September 1996 on the Tigrayan Alliance for National Democracy (TAND), its structure, membership, activities, objectives, and its treatment by the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF); whether TAND is mainly comprised of Tigrayans from the Shire region, and if so, whether they are being persecuted by TPLF, including reports of prominent members of TAND being jailed by the current government

In addition to information contained in ETH24933.E of 6 September 1996, The Indian Ocean Newsletter (ION) reports that Hailu Mengesha, one of the founders of the Tigrayan Alliance for Democracy (TAND), returned to Addis Ababa in early February 2003, following leader Sebhat Nega's, long time efforts to attempt to rally former members of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) (ION 15 Feb. 2003). The TPLF is "hard-core of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Forces (EPRDF) in power in Ethiopia" (ibid). Sebhat Nega is one of the TPLF leaders (Oromio Online 30 June 2001).

Mengesha was a member of the TPLF before he left the party in the 1970s and went to the United States where he founded TAND, together with Aregawi Berhe (ION 15 Feb. 2003).

A conference by a small group of TAND members, opponents in exile held in Toronto in 2000 allegedly replaced Mengesha with a new chairman, Aregawi Berhe (ibid. 2 Dec. 2000, 7).

Berhe who lives in exile in the Netherlands, and Gidey Zeratsion, also living in exile in Norway, were founder members of TAND as well as former members of the TPLF

(ibid.). The Indian Ocean Newsletterr points out that the Toronto congress decided to "sideline" Hailu Mengesha, accusing him of "remaining inactive, not to say pro-TPLF, during the Eritrea-Ethiopia border dispute," and that the rivalry between Mengesha and Berhe had crippled TAND's activities and effectiveness in Tigray expatriate circles (ibid.).

A subsequent TAND meeting in Washington, DC, in August 2002 is reported to have failed to unite the various political groups opposed to the government of the ruling EPRDF (ibid., 6 Sept. 2002). This report also refers to TAND's divided leadership and adds that their attempts to merge with the Asmara (Eritrea)-based Tigray People's Democratic Front (TPDM) came to naught (ibid.).

Apparently, Sebhat Nega's attempts to lure Aregawi Berhe and Gideye Zetsion into returning to Ethiopia have not been successful (ibid.15 Feb. 2003).

Reports on whether TAND is comprised of Tigrayans from Shire region and on whether prominent members of TAND in Ethiopia are subject to arrests and imprisonment could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

The Indian Ocean Newsletter (ION) [Paris]. 15 February 2003. No. 1030. "A Tigrayan Opponent Rallies the Troops." (NEXIS)

_____. 6 September 2002. No. 1008. "The Opposition Union for Never." (NEXIS)

_____. 2 December 2000. No. 928. "Ethiopia - Settling Accounts in TAND."

Oromia Online. 30 June 2001. "'I Would Rather Die Than Continue Being TPLF Puppet'" Says Shiferaw Jarso. <http://www.oromiaonline.com/News/News_063001.htm> [Accessed 22 May 2003]

Additional Sources Counsulted

Africa Confidential

Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social and Cultural Series

Amnesty International

Country Reports 1999-2002

Human Rights Watch (HRW)

The Indian Ocean Newsletter

IRB Databases

LEXIS/NEXIS

Internet sources, including:

Africa Online

AllAfrica.com

BBC Africa

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