An ethno-nationalist think-tank dedicated to the heritage, identity, and future core of the Tigray people and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) was launched. Vice President of Adigrat University, Alem Mebrahtu, is behind the think-tank, which he said would join forces to discuss policy ideas on matters, such as social-economic, political, cultural and linguistic issues. He is joined by several other prominent Tigrayans such as associate professor at the Addis Ababa University College of Law and Governance Study, Assefa Fiseha, State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Aklilu Hailemichael, the executive director of Tigray Development Association, Tadele Hagos.

The institute says it aims to be “a leading think-tank to generate new strategies to counter and overcome the increasing anti-Tigrayn feelings in the country and works towards solutions-oriented research that explores ways to address prejudice in the ethnic group in all its forms.” The TPLF dominated government of Ethiopia is increasingly challenged by the two other major ethnic groups in the country, Oromos and Amharas.
The think-tank intends to host regular public events and conferences, publish books, journals, essays, with the particular insistence on the need to protect Tigrayan identity and interests. It would also hand out awards for research work and documentaries to re-write the Tigray people’s history and glorify some of its heroes.
TPLF is already accused of creating a high school, the only one of its kind in Ethiopia, for propagating ultranationalist ideas. The school called Kallamino special high school, a full scholarship boarding Secondary School for “talented students competitively selected from all primary schools of Tigray National Regional state”. The school was established in 1998 by the Tigrai Development Association (TDA) a membership-based not-for-profit organization with a vision of making Tigrai prosperous and free from poverty and backwardness.