A faction of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) led by Debretsion Gebremichael seized control of the Adigrat town administration on Tuesday, ousting officials appointed by the rival faction led by Getachew Reda, the region’s interim president, escalating the political deadlock in Ethiopia’s Tigray region.
The 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.
The interim administration, led by Reda, suspended three generals on Monday for allegedly planning a coup. The suspended officials were Major General Yohannes Woldegiyorgis, Major General Masho Beyene, and Brigadier General Migbey Haile.
However, the Tigray Peace and Security Bureau rejected the suspensions, stating they “do not follow institutional procedures and law.” The bureau alleged the decision was taken because “practical action against criminals had begun.”
Amid the political turmoil, the TPLF Debretsion group reportedly opened fire on an area called Adi Gudom. Similar actions by TPLF to dismantle the Reda faction’s administration are expected in other towns, including Adi Gudem, Maychew, Edaga Hamus, and Seharti, as well as the regional capital, Mekelle, according to reports from Tigray.
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 was shootings reported in Mekelle city.
The interim administration accused the military leaders of “a clear announcement of a coup,” warning that their actions “deviate from their mission” and could “jeopardize the Pretoria Agreement,” a peace accord aimed at stabilising the region. The administration said such actions threatened stability and efforts to maintain order.
Adding to the instability, tensions are rising between Ethiopia and Eritrea, fueling fears of a new conflict.
Former TPLF General Warns of Growing Risk of Ethiopia-Eritrea War
Former Tigrayan forces commander General Tsadkan Gebretensae, considered a leading military strategist, recently warned of a growing risk of war between Ethiopia and Eritrea in an analysis published by Horn of Africa Geopolitical Review.
Gebretensae, who abandoned his studies to join the TPLF in 1976, cautioned that a war between Ethiopia and Eritrea is “not merely a possibility but an inevitability unless immediate preventive measures are taken.”
Gebretensae warned that any war between Ethiopia and Eritrea has the potential to be protracted and have several devastating outcomes for the region and the decisive actors to shape the outcome of the war will be rich Middle Eastern countries like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt and Turkey.
He said that for Tigray the best option is to avert the war and adhere to the full implementation of the Pretoria agreement and work for fast recovery and that it is the responsibility of the Ethiopian government and international partners to step in and avert another disastrous war in our region at the eleven hour.
Gebretensae also noted that in case the effort to deter war fails, the shortest termination of the war by all means (military or diplomatic) is in the best interest of Tigray and the region with another option where a reformed Tigray co-exists within Ethiopia with a reformed Eritrea on its frontiers.
