How Has the Illegal TPLF Turned Humanitarian Aid into Weapons and Plundered Tigray’s Resources?

Addis Ababa, October 21, 2026 (FMC) — Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has exposed the illegal TPLF’s alleged diversion of humanitarian grain to buy weapons and its plunder of Tigray’s resources, accusing the group of putting its military ambitions and own interests ahead of the people it claims to represent.

In his October 19 Tigrigna-language interview, the Prime Minister condemned the group’s conduct, linking the misuse of humanitarian assistance and the exploitation of regional resources to the destructive consequences of its priorities for Tigray’s population.

The illegal TPLF stands accused of taking food meant for people in need to finance weapons while plundering the region’s wealth instead of putting it to work for the people.

Humanitarian grain is meant to feed hungry families, not fuel an armed group’s military ambitions. Tigray’s resources should build livelihoods and strengthen communities, not serve the interests of a political organization.

Diverting humanitarian grain to purchase weapons is a betrayal of people who depend on relief to survive.

Families facing hunger need food on their tables, not their assistance turned into military supplies. Every diversion of aid threatens the very people humanitarian support is supposed to protect.

The plunder of Tigray’s resources compounds the damage. The region’s wealth should support development, create economic opportunities and improve people’s lives. Exploiting those resources while the population bears the cost of conflict and hardship puts the group’s interests above the future of Tigray.

The accusations expose the gulf between the illegal TPLF’s claims to represent the people and the conduct attributed to its leadership. A group cannot claim to defend Tigray while allegedly diverting food from the needy to acquire weapons and exploiting the region’s wealth at the expense of its population.

Tigray region’s people have paid a heavy price for conflict and destruction. They must not also be robbed of humanitarian assistance and the benefits of their own resources. Food aid must reach hungry families, and the region’s wealth must serve its people—not the weapons and interests of the illegal TPLF.