Wolqait Tegede RB Edited Version (4) - with

1
Forceful Annexation, Violation of Human Rights and Silent genocide: A Quest for
Identity and Geographic Restoration of Wolkait-Tegede, Gondar, Amhara, Ethiopia
By: Achamyeleh Tamiru
1. Introduction
Ethiopian history has been studied and written by both foreign and local scholars for many
centuries. Some of the writers were purely scholars while others were travelers documenting
their trip experiences. These writers have extensively defined the boundaries of the many
administrations, languages, cultures, traditions, faiths and other characteristics of Ethiopia.
These factual documentations were especially true of Northern Ethiopia. It's also essential to
note that these historical documentations were done in several European languages as well as
Amharic and Geez.
One of the many areas described by writers ever since the 14th century is the area
surrounding the Tekeze River and the people of Ethiopia on both sides of the 4th largest river
in Ethiopia. One of the notable regions and the interest of this article is the locality and the
people of Wolkait-Tegede in historical Gondar, Ethiopia. Historical documents and maps
dated from about 1434 to 1991 show that Wolkait-Tegede were pars of the Gondar province
of Amhara. Despite the availability of a mountain of evidence to support this fact however,
the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) has annexed the Wolkait-Tegede region into
historical Tigray region in 1991. In fact during its bush days, it was in 1979 when TPLF
entered Wolkait-Tegede and declared the land as part of its newly coming “Greater Republic
of Tigray”.
In other words, to bring it to today's Ethiopian reality, a region in Amhara Federal State is
transferred to Tigray Federal State by force. In the process of annexation, the identity, history
and cultural make up of Wolkait-Tegede has been taken away, re-written and utterly
decimated by TPLF and its state machine. This historical atrocity has been perpetuated
against Wolkait-Tegede for nearly four decades as the grand scheme of TPLF to control the
area dates back to its early days of the armed struggle.
2. Historical Background and Where We Are Now
Modern Ethiopia had fourteen provinces including Eritrea until 1991. One of the provinces is
Gondar—which is located in northwest Ethiopia. Tigray and Wollo to the east, Eritrea to the
North, Gojjam province to the south and the country of Sudan in the west border Gondar.
2
Wolkait-Tegede are the indigenous people in the province of Gondar owning a rich culture,
language, history, land and other societal values of the larger Amhara people in Ethiopia.
In 1975, TPLF has begun its armed struggle in Tigray against the military Derg government.
As a Communist separatist movement, TPLF's main objective was the liberation and creation
of a country of the Great Republic Tigray. It clearly states in its 1976 manifesto that TPLF is
struggling against the Amhara people. Due to its remoteness and proximity to the province of
Tigray, it was inevitable for TPLF to venture into Wolkait-Tegede for supplies, access to the
Sudan and refuge from Derg's military forays. During the armed struggle, TPLF had
benefited a great deal from the region and was cognizant of the importance of the region for
all the natural resources nature bestowed upon it. Thus, the design to annex the area to the
future “Greater Republic of Tigray” was conceived early on and for numerous reasons.
In 1991, TPLF-led government took state power in Ethiopia. It immediately introduced new
administrative regions of the country by doing away the pre-1991 set up. When the new
Federal State arrangement was unveiled, Tigray Federal State has grown exponentially taking
away areas from Gondar and Wollo provinces. Tigray now has boundary with Sudan and
Eritrea—a new country since 1993. Gondar was incorporated with Amhara Federal State and
was buffered from international boundaries with neither Sudan nor Eritrea. Therefore, by
denying Gondar international boundary with Eritrea, the Amhara Federal State is denied
direct access with Eritrea. It's unclear whether or not the Government of Eritrea is acquiesced
to this arrangement with TPLF at the time of the liberation struggle or during the hay-days
before the 1998 Ethio-Eritrea war.
TPLF has never ceased its attack against the Amhara people; in fact, with the national
resources at its disposal, it systematically and unashamedly continued its Anti-Amhara
agenda in the entire country. Many instances could be presented. However, on a regional
focus, the Amharic speaking areas contiguous to Tigray State have been recipients of the
brunt of the atrocities. One of the methods used by TPLF to erode away Amhara identities is
the dislocation of Amharas from the area and settling thousands of former TPLF fighters
from arid and infertile lands of Tigray to the more fertile land of Wolkait-Tegede region. It
took steps to change the administrative language of the area, started producing documents
and stories to inculcate the "Tigrayness" of Wolkait.
In nearly four decades, TPLF has been working on this agenda. Nonetheless, the people of
Wolkait didn't sit idle. Many have made it clear that their identity is Amhara and they belong
to the today’s state of Amhara. Four months ago, fifty thousand Wolkait Amharas had
3
petitioned seeking protection from involuntary forced provincial annexation asserting their
identity and for their land to be restored back to the Amhara region where they belong and
filed their complaint to the House of the Federation, Ethiopia’s Upper House. In the great
reality of Ethiopia, the Amhara Federal State is also controlled by TPLF. However, the
longing of the people of Wolkait is to at least not being cut off from their Amhara brothers
and sisters of Gondar (and beyond) for historical and cultural reasons. The response from
TPLF is death, incarceration and more suppression.
The representatives of the Wolkait people and Wolkait activists who have been campaigning
to assert their identity and for their land to be restored back to the Amhara region have been
killed and imprisoned 1
As the national struggle by all Ethiopians is intensifying, the people of Wolkait are
continuing their demands of the restoration of their Amhara identity and be integrated to their
home province. Therefore, it is essential to make note that the question of Wolkait-Tegede
needs to be seen in the over Ethiopian context of arbitrary boundary demarcation for political
or other superficial reasons. The struggle of Wolkait is a struggle for liberty, justice, human
rights, cultural preservation and economic opportunities.
3. Historical Evidence of Wolkait-Tegede Identity
As mentioned in the introduction, there are numerous historical evidences of where Wolkait
is located, to whom it belonged, and other details by many writers and historical figures.
These individuals wrote and professed what they knew and observed. The European writers,
especially, never thought what they wrote decades or even centuries ago would become
historical evidence in 21st century minority political scheming. The writers had no axe to
grind. Evidently, without knowing it, they had lent important support for the Wolkait people
claiming Amhara identity and administration restoration. Now let’s see some of the notable
evidences written and spoken by both foreigners and Ethiopian personalities presenting the
boundary and identity of Amhara in general and Wolkait in particular.
Emperor Zarayakob of the 14th Ethiopia reunited most powerful kings of his time. He was
born in Fetegar, in the current Oromia region near the Awash River. He was married to the
daughter of the king of Hadiya.
1
The
list of names of the deceased will be found in the appendix of this article. 4
He was coroneted as the emperor of Ethiopia when he was 37. He left behind a lot of
accomplishment of his reign. In addition to ruling his country, he was directly involved in
writing many books. In addition, other church scholars have written many books. One of
these books written is called the “Book of Axum”. Chief of Axum St. Marry Church has
written the book. “Book of Axum” detailed the 14th century provinces of Ethiopia. This book
is best noted as not only providing the names of provinces and the history of the time but also
the borders of the provinces of Ethiopia by then2. In the book, the provinces and the borders
of the 14th century Tigray, with the center at Axum, are describes as follows:
2
Carlo Conti Rossini. Liber Axumae. Book of Axum. Responsibility: Edidit [et interpretatus
est] K. Conti Rossini. Parisiis, E Typographeo Reipublicae, 1909-10.
5
From this, it is clear that Wolkait-Tegede is not part of the 14th century Tigray. In addition
to this, Yohannes K. Mekonnen3 in his book “Ethiopia : the land, its people, History
and Culture, he described the provinces of the 14th century Tigray as:
”…The Book of Axum.. Shows a traditional schematic map of Tigray with its
city Axum at its center surrounded by the thirteen principal provinces:
Tembein, Shire, Seraye, Hamasen, Bur, Sama, Agame, Amba Senait, Geralta,
enderta, Sahart and Abergele.”
Among the nineteenth century notable foreign writers about northern Ethiopia is Walter
Chichele Plowden4 who traveled as a missionary in 1848 and wrote the book “Travels in
Abyssinia and the Galla Country: With an Account of a Mission to Ras Ali in 1848”.
According to Plowden, by then, the region of Tigray consisted of all Christian regions North
of the Tekeze River5. The sub-divisions were Hamasen, Saraye, Akale guzay, Agame, Tigray
proper, Shire, Adiabo, Temben, Inderta, Woggerat and Silalo. The writer clearly wrote that
the river Tekeze is the line separating the Tigray province and Gondar where the people of
Wolkait are located.
Next page is the evidence page of the book.
3
Yohannes
K. Mekonnen. Ethiopia: The Land, Its People, History and Culture. New Africa
Press, 2013. PP 351.
4
Plowden, Walter Chichele (1820–1860) was born on 3 Aug. 1820, and educated at Dr.
Evan's school, Hampstead. He met Mr. J. T. Bell, and joined him in an expedition into
Abyssinia to discover the sources of the White Nile. He remained in that country till 1847,
and was shipwrecked in the Red Sea, on his way to England. In 1848 he was appointed
consul in Abyssinia, with a mission to Ras Ali. He remained in the interior till February 1860,
when he took leave of King Theodore. Near Gondar, on the Kaka River, he was attacked by a
rebel chieftain, and was wounded and taken prisoner. He was ransomed by the authorities of
Gondar on 4 March, and carried into the town, where he died of his injuries on 13 March
1860. His manuscripts were forwarded to his brother, Trevor Chichele Plowden, by whom
they were published as Travels in Abyssinia and the Galla Country, 8vo, London, 1868.
5
Walter Chichele Plowden (1848) Travels in Abyssinia and the Galla Country: With an
Account of a Mission to Ras Ali p.39.
6
Another missionary Joseph-Émile Coulbeaux6 of France wrote a book on the location and
identity of Wolkait people as inhabitants of Gondar-Amhara. He wrote that Amhara districts
6
Joseph-Émile Baeteman (September 29, 1880 – 1938) was a French missionary and
religious writer. In 1905 he went to Ethiopia for teaching, but he returned to France during
World War I, in which he served at the front. In 1919 he returned to Ethiopia. Around 1920
he founded the Lazarist mission of Mändida, which he left in 1929 due to illness. He then
7
that border with the Tigre, beyond the Tekkeze, are: "Welkait, Enseeya, and, in front of Adet
Plateau, Tsellemt that begins north of the Semein chain of mountains7. It reflects that Wolkait
land and people have been the historically belonged in the Amhara society of Ethiopia. He
reconfirmed a six hundred years (written history) on the Amhara identity of Wolkait people
in Gondar province. Here is the evidence page of the book.
The above red-underlined text in French, from the evidence page of Coulbeaux’s book, is
translated into English as;
Amhara districts that border with the Tigre, beyond the Tekkeze, are: Welkait, Enseeya, and,
in front of Adet Plateau, Tsellemt that begins north of the Semein chain of mountains.
returned to France and wrote several books including Histoire politique et religieuse
d'Abyssinie depuis les temps les plus reculés jusqu'à l'avénement de Ménélick II.
7
Joseph-Émile Coulbeaux (1929) Histoire politique et religieuse d'Abyssinie: depuis les
temps les plus recules jusqu'a l'avenement de Menelick II p. 11.
8
In 1853, a British writer Mansfield Parkyns8 documented that Northern Abyssinia or
Ethiopia may be considered as divided by the river Taccazy into two countries Tigre and
Amhara; though, strictly speaking, these are only the names of two of the many provinces
into which both countries are divided. But the people east of the river (Tigray) differ in
language, and to a considerable extent in dress, manners, and customs, from those west
(Amhara) of it”. Here is the evidence page of the book.
8
Mansfield Parkyns (16 February 1823 – 12 January 1894) was a British traveller, known for
his travel book Life in Abyssinia: being notes collected during three years' residence and
travels in the country that has been published in1853. In this book he described his
experiences and observations during three years (1843–1846) travels in Abyssinia, the
modern territories of Eritrea and Ethiopia.
9
Samuel Gobalt9 wrote a journal in 1850 that indicates the boundary of Amhara and Tigray
people showing the location and identity of Wolkait people.10 He wrote that the Amhara and
Tigre provinces are most extensive and separated by the Tekeze River. He added that the
9
Samuel Gobalt, a Swiss Lutheran, who became an Anglican missionary in Ethiopia and was the
Protestant Bishop of Jerusalem from 1846 until his death. He visited Ethiopia twice, the first time
from the beginning of 1830 to the end of 1832 and returned in March 1835. The book is all about his
journey of the three years' residence in Ethiopia. He entered to Ethiopia via Massawa and spent much
of his time in Ethiopia in Tigray and Begemider.
10
Samuel G. and Rober Baird (1850) Journal of three years stay in Abyssiniya. P.37.
10
inhabitants are distinguished not only by different language but also by different national
feeling. This is notable historical evidence that the river Tekeze marks the end of Tigray
territory and start of Gondar province where the people of Wolkait reside soon after crossing
the river. Here is the evidence page of the book.
Hormuzd Rassam11, in his memoir, recorded the history and geography of the Amhara state
of Abyssinia, the Sudan and the Gulf of Zula. According to Rassam’s description of the
11
Hormuzd Rassam (1826 – 16 September 1910) was a British citizen, settling in Brighton, and
represented the British government as a diplomat in Aden. In 1864 Rassam was chosen for the
perilous duty of delivering a friendly letter of protest to Theodore. Arriving at Massowah, he and two
companions. Lieutenant Prideaux and Dr. Blanc, of the Indian army, were kept waiting there nearly a
year before receiving permission to enter the country, which even then was only granted in response
to Rassam's threat to return to Aden. Rassam met Theodore at Damot on 28 January 1866. Rassam
narrated his strange experiences in his 'British Mission to Theodore, King of Abyssinia, with Notices
of the Country traversed from Massowah through the Soudan and the Amhara and back to Annesley
Bay from Magdala under the title «Narrative of the British Mission to Theodore, King of Abyssinia».
11
geography Amhara, Wolkait and Tegede were provinces of the state of Amhara. He stated
that the term "Amhara," as now used by the Abyssinians, in an ethnological sense, designates
the inhabitants of the country lying west of the Takkaze, and also south of that river, as far as
the province of Gojjam. Here is the evidence page of his book.
From Rassam’s account, it is clear that the inhabitants of west of Takkaze, including Wolkait,
and Tegede, were Amharas. William Cornwallis Harris12 in his book “The Highlands of
Aethiopia: In Three Volumes, Volume 3” also confirmed the fact that ALL the Abyssinia
provinces West of Takkaze
up to the Blue Nile were speakers of Amharic. This fact
12
Major Sir William Cornwallis Harris (2 April 1807 – died 9 October 1848) was an English military
engineer, artist and hunter. From 1841 to 1843, Harris led a British diplomatic mission from Bombay
to Sahle Selassie, Negus of Shewa, at the time an autonomous district of Ethiopia, with whom Harris
negotiated a commercial treaty. Harris also collected extensive scientific data about Ethiopia during
the trip.
12
nullifies the claims make by ex TPLF fighters and cadres such as Mekonnen Zelelew13 who
have propagated in their interview with SBS Amharic radio that Amharic is alien to Wolkait
unlike Tigrigna. Here is what Harris had to say regarding this matter in his book.
In addition to the ex TPLF fighter Mekonen Zelelew, there is another Tigrian called
Ghelawdewos Araia14 who claimed that Wolkait should have been historically part of Tigray
because some of the place names in Wolkait are Tigrigna names. This is a very weak
argument that can be easily nullified by providing the number of Arabic place names in
Wolkait that are as many as those of Tigrigna names. Since the existence of numerous Arabic
place names in Wolkait doesn’t make Wolkait to be part of an Arab province or part of
Sudan, the existence of Tigrigna place names in Wolkait doesn’t make Wolkait to be
13
Mekonnon Zelelew, Interview by Kassahun Seboqa, SBS Amharic, News and Features, Australia:
22 APR 2016, Radio. 14
Ghelawdewos Araia (2016) Beyond Ethnocentric Ideology and Paradigm Shift for a Greater
Ethiopian Unity, Tigrai Online, Ethiopian News, April 21, 2016. historically part of Tigray.
13
There is a place called Kebri Dehar in the present day
Ethiopian Somali Regional State. Kebri Dehar is a Tigrigna word. The fact that Kebri Dehar
is Tigrigna doesn’t make Kebri Dehar part of Tigray. In addition to this, the Tigrigna place
names of Wolkait are named after the Eritreans who settled there to make a living.
So,
Ghelawdewos Araia claim that Tigrigna name areas should be part Tigray is not logically
substantiated by the facts on the ground.
Henry Aaron wrote an important book on the history of Ethiopia covering a wide range of
people and incidents in 186215. In his book, “Wanderings among Falashas in Abyssinia:
together with a description of the country and its various inhabitants”, he addressed the
situation of the Jewish refugees or Falashas and wrote also that the boundaries which, in
imitation of the “cities of refugee” the avenger of blood dare not pass with hostile intent are
well defined by Tekeze between Tigre and Amhara. He stated that the Falashas settled in the
Amhara land of Gondar, which is separated by Tekeze River from Tigray. Here is the
evidence page of his book.
15
Henry Aaron Stern (1868) Wanderings among Falashas in Abyssinia: together with a description of
the country and its various inhabitants, p. 137.
14
Among the plenty of foreign writers about the history of Ethiopia, James Bruce is the most
paramount. In his Travels and Adventures in Abyssinia, 1860 book, he wrote an important
note, which can serve as another evidence for the people of Wolkait claiming Amhara
identity today. He wrote that "the greatest length of Tigre/Tigray is two hundred miles…..it
lies between the territory of Bahranagash (today Eritrea) which reaches to the river Mareb)
on the east and the river Tekezze on the west. Crossing Tekeze, we come to the mountainous
district of Semien (Today’s northern Gondar) inhabited by Falasha…. The Bruce book tells
that the river Tekeze has been the boundary between the people of Tigray and Amhara in
Gondar. Here is the evidence page of his book.
15
Charles T. Beke16, in 1867, wrote "Tigre extends full one hundred and sixty miles to the west
and south and entirely surrounded by the river Tekeze which separates it from the rest of
Abyssinia in addition to language." Beke wrote his book after the Ethiopia-Britain war, that
is following the death of Emperor Tewodros II and during the time of Emperor Yohannes IV,
a Tigrean and who ruled over Tigray before ascending to the throne of Ethiopia. C.T. Beke
Charles Tilstone Beke (10 October 1800 – 31 July 1874) was an English traveller,
geographer and Biblical critic. Beke's writings are very numerous. Among the more
important, besides those already named, are An Essay on the Nile and its Tributaries (1847),
The Sources of the Nile (1860), and The British Captives in Abyssinia (1865). He was a
fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and for his contributions to the knowledge of
Ethiopia received its gold medal, and also that of the French Société de Géographie.
16
16
mentioned that the west of Tekeze River is hereditary part of the Semien (Northern
Gondar). Here is the evidence page of Beke’s book.
Another western account on Wolkait is a powerful letter sent to Antoine Thomson d'Abbadie
by a Gondar priest named Abba Yosef from Adi Qeyih.17 Antoine Thomson d'Abbadie was a
nineteenth century French explorer, geographer, ethnologist, linguist and astronomer notable
for his travels in Ethiopia. The letter d'Abbadie received was during the reign of Emperor
Yohannes IV and it describes the geography and historiography of Abyssinia, what is today
called Northern Ethiopia. From the letter it is clear that the area from Tekezze up to
Checheho was part of Amhara province that was ruled by Ras Weregna while at the same
time Dejzach Kassa, Emperor Yohannes IV was ruling Tigray. This means that during the
17
Sven Rubenson (2000) Acta Aethiopica: Internal rivalries and foreign threats, 1869-1879
(Addis Ababa University Press), P. 139. 17
reign of Emperor Yohannes IV Wolkait was an Amhara land and Tigray at the Tekeze
River from the west. Below is the letter sent to Antoine d'Abbadie originally published in the
Sven Rubenson book entitled Acta Aethiopica: Internal rivalries and foreign threats, 1869-1879.
Elizabel Filleul in Portuguese wrote «Tractatus tres historico-geographici (1634): A
seventeenth century historical and geographical account of Tigray, Ethiopia (Aethiopistische
Forschungen» that “Among all the kingdoms that the Emperor of Ethiopia possesses today
one of the greatest if not the greatest and the most important is the kingdom Tigre. From
north to south, that is from the limits of the Hamasen to Enderta, it covers an areas of from
ninety to one hundred leagues (3.2 miles); and from the east, which is besides Dancali,
located at the entrance to the Red sea to the southern end of the Red Sea, to the west bounded
by the Tekezze River beside the Semen, it covers an area of similar size, so that the Kingdom
has a nearly circular shape” Later on this article, I will provide a biography of the author.
Here is the evidence from Elizabel Filleul book that has been cited above.
18
19
In addition to written evidences, there are countless evidence maps that are all published in
the journals and books supporting that fact that Wolkait was (and is) an Amhara land.
The following is a historic map of Abyssinia obtained from a book written by Tellez
Balthazar18 entitled as “The Travels of the Jesuits in Ethiopia” that was published for the first
time in 1660. Balthazar’s book of travels of the Jesuits in Abyssinia contains the geographical
description of all the provinces of Abyssinia, and a historical account of the kingdom.
Here is the map.
Tellez, Balthazar. 1710. The Travels of the Jesuits in Ethiopia. London: Knapton, P.01. Tellez,
Balthazar, is a Portuguese Jesuit, and historian of his order and of Ethiopia, 1595-1675
18
20
As can be seen on the above 1660 map, it is clear that Wolkait belongs to Begameder, today’s
Gondar and Tigray did not cross Tekeze.
Below is Rigobert Bonne's 1771 map of Nubia and Abyssinia. Bonne was Royal
Cartographer of France. He compiled some of the most detailed and accurate maps of the
world. Bonne’s work represents an important step in the evolution of the cartographic
ideology away from the decorative work of the 17th and early 18th century towards a more
detail oriented and practical aesthetic. His map was widely consumed by the political elite in
Europe to travel across the world. It has been also used to settle territorial disputes over lands
around the world, both past and in modern times.
21
The below map covers from Aswan, Egypt south along the Nile River to include all of
modern day Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia. It also includes parts of
neighboring Arabia across the Red Sea. This is the most advanced map revealing the
cartographic sophistication of the Ethiopian Empire. This map of Bonne is particularly
noteworthy because of its detail and accuracy. The cultural and topographic features he
depicts provided at proper scale and overlain with a land survey grid showing section lines.
Here is what Bonne Map looks like, in the 17th and early 18th century.19
In this map, it is clear that Tekeze separates Tigray from Semien and Wolkait and Wolkait is
much far from Tigray Border.
Another map evidence is the map of Tigray, as shown below, that is taken from a 17th
century book entitled Tractatus Tres Historico-Geographici(1634)20 that describes the
19 Sidney Hall. Decorative map of Nubia, Abyssinia and the Arabian Sea (1830).
Publishing Co., Inc. London, UK, P.39.
20
Elizabel
Longman
Filleul. Tractatus tres historico-geographici (1634): A seventeenth century
historical and geographical account of Tigray, Ethiopia. 22
seventeenth century historical and geographical account of Tigray, as narrated by Manoel
Barradas, a Portuguese missionary who was stationed in Tigray in 1624. The book was about
the “Kingdom of Tigray,” with respect to the size and territorial integrity of Tigray.
On the very same book, after this historical and geographic map, a description of the map is
provided. Accordingly, the kingdom of Tigray, from north to south, extends is from the limits
of the Hamassen to Enderta, which covers an area of from ninety to one hundred leagues; and
23
from east, which is beside Denakil, located at the entrance to the southern end of the Red
Sea, to the west, bounded by the Takazze River beside the Semen, it covers an area of similar
size, so that the kingdom has a nearly circular shape. From the above geographic map and
the description provided, it is vividly clear that Tigray did not cross Tekeze. Hence, during
the period when Manoel Barradas stationed in Tigray in 1624, Wolkait was part and parcel of
Semein, the present day Northern Gondar of the state of Amhara.
Another powerful map evidence is obtained from the Military Geographic Institute of Italy.
Military Geographic Institute is the national mapping agency for Italy. A long time before the
battle of Adwa, Italy was preparing herself to launch a full-scale invasion of Ethiopia and for
this purpose she has been studying the full geography of Ethiopia since 1880 using her
military spies, map experts, missionaries, and travellers. So, according to the Military
Geographic Institute of Italy, the following is the map of Gondar from 1880 to 1901.21
21
Istituto Geografico Militare - Catalogo Carte Antiche. (n.d.). Immagine: b0011436. Foglio 9 Gondar Edizione
1880-1901. Retrieved From
http://www.igmi.org/ancient/immagine.php?cod=15310
24
According to this map of Gondar produced by the Military Geographic Institute of Italy,
between 1880 and 1901, Wolkait and Tegede were parts of Gondar of the Amhara province.
Even after their defeat at Adwa, the Italians didn’t keep silent from a clandestine study of the
Ethiopia terrain because they have been again imagining coming back and occupying
Ethiopia the whole of Ethiopia as they did later forty years after the battle of Adwa. In their
updated study of the map of Ethiopia, the Italian diplomatic consul in Ethiopia and all other
European spies were involved. After completing this underground study, from 1901-1907, of
25
the geography of Ethiopia, Italy come up with an updated map of all the provinces of
Ethiopia. This map of Gondar looks like this.22
Just like the 1880-1901 map of Gondar, in the 1901- 1907 map of Gondar as well, Wolkait
and Tegede are parts of Gondar.
For the third time, Italy, who has been making all the necessary preparations to invade
Ethiopia, has produced Gondar’s map in 1934, after assessing all of the details of Ethiopia in
22
Istituto Geografico Militare - Catalogo Carte Antiche. (n.d.). Immagine: b0011434. Foglio 9 Gondar Edizione
1901-1907. Retrieved From http://www.igmi.org/ancient/immagine.php?cod=15308.
26
1933. According to this third map of Gondar that was made based on an extensive study of
the area by the Italian army a year before the full-scale invasion of Ethiopia, it is clearly
depicted that Wolkait and Tegede are parts of Gondar. Note that Italy made every map of the
different places of Ethiopia based on a study of a language spoken in the area under
consideration. Here is the third map of Gondar that was studied by Italy a year before the fullscale invasion of Ethiopia.23
23
Istituto Geografico Militare - Catalogo Carte Antiche. (n.d.). Immagine: b0011434. Foglio 9 Gondar Aggiorn.
1934. Retrieved From: http://www.igmi.org/ancient/immagine.php?cod=15309
27
In addition to these three maps of Gondar that have been produced by Italy before its last fullscale invasion of Ethiopia, Margery Perham24 has collected and published the map of the
provinces of Ethiopia on the eve of the Italian invasion of 1933. In her book entitled “The
Government of Ethiopia by” published in 1969, she detailed the provinces of Ethiopia from
the time of Emperor Minilik up to the year of Italian Invasion, 1933. Here is the map of
Ethiopia up to the years of Italian produced by Margery Perham:
From this map of Ethiopia, it is clear that Tekeze separates Tigray from Semien and Wolkait
and Tigray’s geographic and political power didn’t not extend beyond the Tekezze River.
The last historical map, before the annexation of Wolkait-Tegede into Tigray in 1991 by the
TPLF regime, is the below map which shows the different provinces of Ethiopia from 1960 to
1991. The map is from Paul Henze's25 “Ethiopian” published by Wilson Quarterly in 1984.
24
Dame
Margery Freda Perham (6 September 1895 – 19 February 1982) was a British
historian of, and writer on, African affairs. 25
Paul B. Henze, "Ethiopia," The Wilson Quarterly, Vol. 8 no. 5 (Winter 1984), p. 101.
28
As can be seen from this map, it is clear that Tigray didn’t not extend beyond the Tekezze
River and Wolkait-Tegede are parts of Gondar, Amhara.
The references presented above are few among plenty of recorded history just to mention
some as evidence for the legitimate question of the Amhara people of Wolkait-Tegede. In all
the aforementioned books and journals as well as travel memos, the river Tekeze is the
historic line separating Gondar and Tigray. It is based on this long established social, cultural
and geographic dissimilarities that the people of Wolkait and their Tigran neighbors on the
north of the river have lived side-by-side for centuries.
29
The Present Day Wolkait-Tegede
In the final years of the Derg regime, TPLF, which spent 17 years fighting for the secession
of Tigray, decided (when it saw an open door and a vacuum in the leadership of the country)
to instead take over Ethiopia. The creation of the Great Republic of Tigray is shelved for the
future as far as TPLF is in power. They did that because they think that as far as the power of
the country is on their hands, they can plunder the rest of the country to easily enrich Tigray.
In addition to this, annexation of strategic and fertile lands from other provinces was
executed as a contingency plan concurrently at work.
It is well documented that the people of Wolkait were in defiance of the Derg regime —
rebelling and fighting the military regime as other localities of the country. Similarly, with
great difficulty, the Wolkait people have been challenging the government stating their
Amhara identity is robbed and their land was forcefully incorporated under Tigray. The
resistance was conducted on individual and collective basis for the over 25 years.
Unexpected voice of authorities has recently came to further affirm the historic facts that
Wolkait-Tegede belongs in Gondar from former Governor of Tigray province during the
Imperial regime, Ras Mengesha Seyoum, as well as from founding members of the TPLF Dr.
Aregawi Berhe, Gidey ZeraTsion, Asegede GebreSelassie and Gebermedhin Araya26. All of
these men have testified that the Wolkait-Tegede-Telemt region has historically been within
the Amhara province. No historic evidence or period is found that Tigray administration has
ever crossed the Tekeze River. The current tyrannical minority regime, however, continued to
deny the historical facts and has continued to pursue repressive and deadly force against
people in the region that at various times raised the issue.
In a recent meeting held in Gondar town, representatives of Wolkait affirmed that the TPLF
regime was harassing their children who speak Amharic (their native language). The medium
of instruction in schools and the working language of the local administrations have been
changed to Tigrigna without their consent--which participants of the meeting said contravene
their constitutional rights of using their own language. As recently as March 2016,
representatives of Wolkait-Tegede have lodged their grievances with the Federal government
in the capital city Addis Ababa. The members were abused and briefly detained in Addis
Ababa last month while they were there to file their complaint to the House of the Federation,
Ethiopia’s Upper House. Afterwards, the committee was turned back and their case referred
SBS Amharic interview Ras Mengesha Seyoum and ESAT interview with Tigray People
Liberation Front (TPLF) founders and now veterans living in exile
26
30
back to the Tigray State administration, the same administration that has been executing
the overall annexation and alienation of Wolkait Amharas for decades. There have also been
several reports of death and disappearances of people in Wolkait who have demanded their
identity and their land be restored.27
As the people of Wolkait-Tegede are persistently claiming their Amhara identity, several
hundreds of unarmed civilians have paid their precious life. Attached to this article is a
document that details the names of people who are killed by the brutal TPLF regime of
Tigray since 1992. The document shows at least 308 innocent Wolkait-Tegede people of
Amhara have been killed since the 1992. However, local sources testify that TPLF has been
killing whoever gets in its way since the last 1970's and the rate has exponentially be rising in
the past couple of years.
Observers see the development in Wolkait as one that the ethnocentric regime, despites its
rhetoric about respect to ethnic identities, would not and could not respond positively. It
instead resorted to crushing the demand of the people of Wolkait by force in order to
maintain control of the vast fertile land. Activists redundantly report that a silent genocide on
Amhara people in general and Wolkait in particular and settlement of Tigray people on the
annexed districts is accelerating. Ethiopians and the international community need to take
immediate action to save these people before they get wiped out ones and for all from the
land — which will grant an ending vicious cycle for the future.
27
http://moreshwegene.blogspot.us accessed on 15 March 2016
31
Conclusion
As can be seen from the above chronologically presented historical documentations and
detailed maps, it is clear that for over seven hundred years, from the beginning of the 14th
century up to the end of the 20th century, Wolkait, Tegede, Tselemt, Humera and other
territories found to the west of River Tekeze up to the Sudan border were parts of the old
Begemedir and the current Gonder provinces of the state of Amhara. But because the land
was largely fertile, TPLF forcefully annexed Wolkait, Tegede, Telemt and Humera from the
Amhara district of Gondar to Tigray to build “the Great Republic of Tigray” TPLF leaders
envisioned in 1976. Even after forcefully annexing those Amhara land to Tigray ever since it
took power 25 years ago, TPLF never ceased to attack the Amharas fearing that they will rise
up one day to reclaim their lost land to Tigray.
To avoid the risk of the “consequences” of a possible Amharas’ revival to reclaim their lost
land to Tigray, the TPLF regime has sagaciously and systematically designed the ethnic lines
of federalism in order to control the country by perpetuating the punitive policies that
emphasize the anti-Amhara ethnic group. It was crystal clear that, before 1991, when TPLF
was in the bushes, they were fighting to create Republic of Tigray on the tomb of Amharas. 28
Conceivably, their first core principle was to ‘hit the Amhara’s horn’, and after that, declare
the independence of Tigray annexing the fertile lands from the Amhara districts of Gondar
and Wollo to Tigray to be a viable new nation.
It is true that the people of Wolkait-Tegede and Telemt also speak speak Arabic for
marketing purpose. However, their feeling, thinking, psychology, and identity are totally
attached to the Amharic language and the Amhara culture.29 This total attachment to the
Amhara culture and language is highly reflected in their daily routines and activities such as
at the local markets, in the spiritual ceremonies, in the weddings, at the funerals, and in many
other occasions.
The language-based federalism pretexted by TPLF in order to take
Wolkait-Tegede to Tigray has been totally unacceptable by the Wolkait-Tegede people since
its inception. They have been expressing their discontent on the forceful annexation and all
the genocides conducted on them by the TPLF over the course of the last 36 years.
28
See
See
Tplf’s 1976 manifesto
the video lectures presented by the Wolkait Amhara Identity Committee members at
different public meetings in Gondar in 2015 and 2016. 29
32
Up to 1991, foreign scholars who studied the northern regions of Ethiopia referred the
Semein and Wolkait as lands of Amhara proper and described Tekezze River as the natural
boarder between the states of Amhara and that of Tigray. Those writers unequivocally
observed and recorded that the identity, administration and land of the people who were
found west of the Tekeze River belong to the Gondar province of the State Amhara.
In all, there is no historic evidence supporting the fact that Wolkait-Tegede had historic
relations and ties with Tigray to make the claim that Wolkait-Tegede should be now part of
Tigray.
For the last 36 years, the atrocities committed against the Wolkait-Tegede people by TPLF
have been going on in the open air and their scrimmage for help has been silenced by the
TPLF and its bandwagon. TPLF was not alone when it was conducting the genocide on the
Wolkait-Tegede Amhara. There are Tigray intellectuals who have been providing ideological
underpinning to the genocide on the Wolkait-Tsege Amharas.
One of the Tigrian
intellectuals who has been providing ideological underpinning to the genocide on the
Wolkait-Tegede Amharas is a New York based historian by the name Gelawdewos Araya.
Gelawdewos Araya is known for his academic dishonesty in providing TPLF with unfounded
evidences about Wolkait-Tsege.
When the times comes, TPLF executives and their operators like Gelawdewos Araya will be
held accountable for the genocide of Wolkait-Tsege Amharas that has been happening on a
daily basis for the last 36 years. Ex-TPLF fighters and cadres are also linked with the
Wolkait-Tegede atrocities for they are still providing ideological backup to the genocide in
Wolkait-Tegede.
True sons of Tigray should be concerned about TPLF’s past and current actions of forceful
annexation and all the genocides committed on their Amhara brothers by their TPLF bloody
brothers. TPLF’s anti-Amhara policy and the genocide it has committed on the Amharas all
over the country don’t benefit anybody including the people of Tigray with whom they lived
in peace for centuries with the Amharas.
I believe the true sons of Tigray understand that the victims of today can become the butchers
of tomorrow. And it is not difficult to guess that the measures TPLF is currently taking on the
justice seeking Amharas will only facilitate future butchery. As Clausewitz urged, genocide
(and an atrocity committed) is a precise series of reciprocal acts in which the culprit dictate
the deeds of the victim. It should be also noted that the ongoing condemnation of the victim
33
more than the perpetrator by TPLF supporters, including by TPLF spiritual fathers, will
only enable TPLF to continue the cycle of violence against the Amahras with impunity that
can actually fan the flames of civil war.
Appendices
34
35
36
37
Other strong evidences that supports the claim that Wolkait-Tsege-Tselemet-Humera were
historically parts of Gondar, Amhara
1. Historic Evidence 21
39
2. Historic Evidence 22
40
3. Historic Evidence 23
41
4. Historic Evidence 24
42
5. Historic Evidence 25
43
6. Historic Evidence 26
44
7. Historic Evidence 27
45
8. Historic Evidence 28
46
47
48
49
9. Historic Evidence 28
50
10. Map Evidence 29
Below is the map produced by Military Geographic Institute of Italy in 1936 when they
surveyed their new occupied country and drew administrative provinces not just for
Ethiopia but the whole of East Africa. As can been from the map, it is clear that the lands
to the west of the River Tekeze is part of the Itaian Amhara province while Tigray was
administered as one unit with a province called “Eritrea”.
51
11. Map Evidence 30
This is another Italian map drawn in 1911. This is an important map because, it not only
shows the provincial boundaries of the whole country, it also tells us who was ruling
which province. Once again, a map drawn before the claimed "theft" took place shows
that the land to the west of River Tekeze was part of Begemedir province, ruled by Ras
Wolde-Giyorgis.
52
12. Map Evidence 31
This is also another German map drawn in 1903. Again, this historical map drawn by a
neutral body shows river Tekeze bounds the province of Tigray.