The interim government of Ethiopia’s Tigray region has appealed to the Ethiopian federal government for intervention after a faction of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) seized control of two major towns, raising fears of a return to civil war. Several people were wounded in the clashes.
The faction of the TPLF, led by Debretsion Gebremichael, took control of the Adigrat town administration on Tuesday, ousting officials appointed by the rival faction led by Getachew Reda, the region’s interim president. On Wednesday night, the same faction seized control of Adi-Gudem, a town near the regional capital, Mekele. The move escalates the political deadlock in the region.
Armed forces attempting to occupy a government building in Adi-Gudem wounded several people by gunfire.
The internal power struggle within the TPLF, the dominant political party in Tigray, has intensified since elements of the Tigray military forces announced their decision to dissolve and restructure the interim administration. Reda’s administration had suspended three generals on Monday for allegedly planning a coup: Major General Yohannes Woldegiyorgis, Major General Masho Beyene, and Brigadier General Migbey Haile. DNE Africa sources said that the interim administration has removed General Fiseha Kidanu the head of the Peace and Security Bureau. They also added that there were shootings reported in Mekelle city.
Foreign missions express concern over developments in Tigray
The Embassies of the United States, UK, New Zealand, Japan, Norway, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Finland, Sweden, and the Delegation of the EU in Ethiopia issued a joint statement saying they are monitoring ongoing developments and the escalating tensions in northern Ethiopia.
“We re-emphasize our full support for the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement of November 2022, which silenced the guns. There must be no return to violence. We strongly urge all parties to protect the Agreement by de-escalating and engaging in urgent dialogue. We stand ready to support.”
The French Foreign Ministry issued a travel advisory on its website, stating, “In view of the ongoing internal clashes in Tigray, particularly in Adigrat and Mekele, travel throughout the Tigray region is now formally inadvisable.” The advisory added, “French nationals passing through are asked to leave Tigray as soon as possible.”
The fighting in Tigray occurred in a conflict zone between federal forces, supported by local militias and the Eritrean army, and Tigrayan rebels between November 2020 and November 2022. According to the African Union, the fighting left at least 600,000 people dead in Tigray.
A peace agreement was signed in Pretoria, South Africa, where the two parties agreed that an interim administration would be established to rule Tigray until elections are held. However, due to delays in implementing the agreement, divisions have sharpened within the TPLF. Getachew Reda, placed in charge of the interim administration by Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, is now in a battle for control with Debretsion Gebremichael.
The current tensions also arrive as Ethiopia and Eritrea, longtime foes, could be headed towards war, officials in the restive Ethiopian region at the centre of the tensions have warned, risking another humanitarian disaster in the Horn of Africa.
Direct clashes between two of Africa’s largest armies would signal the death blow for a historic rapprochement for which Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 and could draw in other regional powers, analysts said.
“At any moment war between Ethiopia and Eritrea could break out,” General Tsadkan Gebretensae, a vice president in the interim administration in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, wrote in Africa-focused magazine the Africa Report on Monday.
Tsadkan accused the dissident faction of seeking an alliance with Eritrea. Getachew Reda, in turn, asked the government for support against the dissidents, who deny ties to Eritrea.
