By Jean Damascene Hakuzimana • Photos | Joseph Shaw

Tariki 5 Werurwe, umuryango w’abatuye Maine bakomoka mu gace ka Tigray wakoze imyigaragambyo imbere y’icyumba cy’ umujyi wa Portland kugira ngo berekane ikibazo cy’intambara imaze amezi ane ku baturage bo mu gace ka Tigray muri Etiyopiya, aho bivugwa ko abantu bagera kuri miliyoni eshatu bakeneye ubufasha bwihutirwa. Nk’uko amakuru menshi abivuga, abantu bo muri Tigray barashonje ndetse bamwe bahungiye muri Sudani.

Abantu bagera kuri 80 bitabiriye imyigaragambyo, bamwe baturutse kure nko muri Boston. Daniel Gebremariam,atuye muri Maine akaba akomoka mu karere ka Tigray, yavuze ko yumva ko ari inshingano yo kumvikanisha ijwi rya Tigray. Yagaragaje impungenge z’uko imirwano hagati y’imitwe yo muri Etiyopiya ishobora kubiba umwiryane hagati y’abaturage ba Etiyopiya batuye mu mahanga. Gebremariam yagize ati: “Ndashaka kumva ndi Umunyetiyopiya, kandi nkareba bagenzi banjye b’Abanyetiyopiya nk’abavandimwe nubwo ubwoko bwacu butandukanye.” Yavuze ko yatunguwe no kubona abavandimwe barwana nkuko biri kuba mu ntambara hagati y’ingabo za Leta bahanganye nabo mu mutwe wa Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF).

Guverinoma ya Etiyopiya na TPLF barwanye kuva mu Gushyingo 2020. Amnesty International yakoze icyegeranyo ku bwicanyi bwabereye mu karere ka Tigray kandi isaba ko hakorwa iperereza ryimbitse, kubera ibyaha by’intambara ndetse n’ibyaha byibasiye inyokomuntu. Sarah Jackson, Umuyobozi wungirije w’akarere k’ihembe rya Afurika, iy’iburasirazuba, n’ibiyaga bigari muri Amnesty International, yagize ati: “Amagambo ya Komiseri Mukuru w’umuryango w’abibumbye ashimangira uburemere bw’ibyaha bivugwa ko bikozwe n’impande zose mu ntambara ya Tigray, kandi ko Loni igomba gomba kohereza iperereza mpuzamahanga, ritabogamye kugira ngo rikurikirane kandi ritange raporo ku byabaye no gukusanya no kubika ibimenyetso by’ibyaha byakozwe n’impande zose. Nta gihe cyo gutakaza – imirimo kuri ibi igomba gutangira nonaha, mbere yuko ibimenyetso bisenywa ndetse no kwibagirana.

Umunyamabanga wa Leta zunze ubumwe za Amerika, Anthony Blinken, yavuze ko ibiri kubera muri Tigray ari ugutsemba ubwoko. Ibi yabivuze ubwo yitabaga komisiyo y’inteko ishinzwe ububanyi n’amahanga. Minisitiri w’ububanyi n’amahanga wa Etiyopiya abicishije kuri Twitter yavuze ibyatangajwe n’umunyamabanga wa Leta Anthony Blinken bidafite ishingiro kandi ko biharabika Guverinoma ya Etiyopiya. Icyakora ari ingabo z’igihugu cya Etiyopiya, abarwanyi ba Tigray People Liberation Front, ingabo za Eritereya, n’ingabo z’akarere ka Amhara zose zirashinjwa ubwicanyi. Mu mezi ane ashize abantu ibihumbi n’ibihumbi barapfuye kandi ibihumbi amagana birukanwa mu ngo zabo. Raporo z’ihohoterwa rishingiye ku gitsina zigenda zishyirwa ahagaragara.

Gebremariam avuga ko ikibazo cya interineti na terefoni bimugoye kumenya amakuru y’umuryango we: “Mushiki wanjye w’imyaka 15 ni wenyine kandi aragoswe muri Tigray, kandi njye na mama duhangayikishijwe n’ikibazo cye.” Ubwo Gebremariam aheruka kuvugana na mushiki we yamusobanuriye ko abaturage bose batuye umugi barimo basabwa kudakinga inzugi amasaha yose kugirango abasirikare biganjemo abava muri Eritereya nibaza binjire mu nzu bahiga niba hari ingabo zabaTigray zirimo.

Ntabwo abantu bose bemera ko ibibazo muri Tigray bikomeye. Chemere Zewdie, ukorera mu murwa mukuru Addis Abbaba yagize ati: “Uko ibintu bimeze ubu mu karere ka Tigray ntabwo bihwanye nk’uko byumvikana hanze aha.

Ndetse n’ejo ubwo naganiraga n’inshuti yanjye i Mekelle kuri terefone, nasanze ibikorerwa hanze ya Tigray bitandukanye cyane n’ibibera mu karere ” Yizera ko hari ubukangurambaga bunini bwo kwamamaza bukangurira iki kibazo. Byaravuzwe cyane ko ingabo za Eritereya zambutse umupaka kugira ngo zifashe ingabo za Etiyopiya guhashya Tigray.

Gebremariam yavuze ko Eritereya itegereje igihe kinini kugira ngo yihorere kuri Tigray nyuma y’imyaka ibarirwa muri za mirongo yaranzwe n’inzangano n’amakimbirane hagati ya Eritereya shingiye ku turere hagati ya Eritereya na Etiyopiya. Tigray na Eritereya byigeze kuba abafatanyabikorwa barwanira hamwe guhirika ubutegetsi bw’igitugu bwa Mengistu Haile Mariam. Igihe babigeraho, mu 1991, Eritereya yahise yihuta gushinga igihugu cyayo kigenga mu gihe Tigray n’andi moko bashinze guverinoma ihuriweho ya Etiyopiya.

Mbere y’ukoy’uko iyi ntambara itangira, Gebremariam yavuze ko yari yishimiye ko Minisitiri w’intebe wa Etiyopiya Abiy Ahmed yari mu nzira yo guhuza umubano na Eritereya. Ati: “Byari gahunda ikomeye yo gufungura imipaka hagati y’ibihugu kugira ngo ubucuruzi bushobore gukomeza hagati y’abaturage b’abavandimwe.” Icyakora, igihe mushiki we yavugaga ko ingabo za Eritereya ziri muri Tigray kwica, gusahura, no gufata ku ngufu, ibyo yizeraga byarahindutse.

Abakomoka muri Tigray bayoboye Etipopiya imyaka irenga 20 kugeza umunsi Meres Zenawi apfiriye mu mwaka wa 2012. Abakomoka mu ba Tigray bagize 6% byabatuye Etiyopiya. Nyuma y’urupfu rwa Meres Zenawi, abayobozi bo hejuru ba Tigray batangiye gutakaza imbaraga ku butegetsi, ariko bagumana imyanya ikomeye mu gisirikare no muri guverinoma. Imyigaragambyo yamagana ihohoterwa ry’uburenganzira bwa muntu, iyicwa ry’abigaragambyaga n’ingabo za leta, byose byafunguriye inzira Minisitiri w’intebe Abiy Ahmed wo muri Oromo kugera ku butegetsi mu mwaka wa 2018. Hashize iminsi, Abiy Ahmed atangira kugirana amakimbirane n’abayobozi ba Tigray, banga kuyoboka gahunda ye ndetse banga kujya mu ihuriro ryashyizweho na Abiy Ahmed.

Gebremariam yahamagariye Minisitiri w’intebe Abiy kumva Abanyetiyopiya bose no guhagarika amakimbirane. Yashinje Guverinoma kwitwara nabi aho ayigereranya n’umubyeyi ukundwakaza bamwe mu bana be agahana abandi. Avuga ko Ubuyobozi bwa Abiy bukwiye gutega amatwi abaturage kugira ngo bubone igisubizo kiboneye cyahagarika amakimbirane.