Tigray Army Senior Leadership Issues Resolutions Criticizing Interim Regional Administration, Calling for Leadership Changes, and Supporting TPLF Faction’s Congress Deemed Illegal by National Election Board

UMD Media, January 23, 2025

A group of leaders of Tigray Defense Forces (TDF) who called themselves senior leadership of Tigray Army have issued a sharp critique of the Tigray Interim Regional Administration (TIRA) during a press conference, accusing it of neglecting its primary mandate. In their press release, the commanders stated that TIRA has failed to adequately implement the Pretoria Agreement, facilitate the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs), and restore Tigray’s territorial integrity. They dismissed TIRA’s emphasis on reform and change as being outside its official purview and called for a reversal of administrative changes made in local councils and districts by the interim administration.

The aTMT leaders expressed their backing for the recent congress led by the Debretsion Gebremichael faction of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The congress has been declared illegal by both Ethiopia’s National Election Board and the opposing TPLF faction led by Getachew Reda, who also serves as TIRA’s president. In the past, the army has largely remained neutral during factional infighting within the TPLF. However, today’s resolution marks a clear shift from that stance.

In the resolution reportedly passed without opposition (with one abstention) during a three-day meeting held from January 20-22, the army leaders called for a “readjustment” of TIRA leadership. They criticized the top leaders of TIRA for failing in their duties and announced their intention to replace TDF representatives in TIRA who are not focusing on the administration’s stated mandate.

Notably, the resolution was supported by General Fisseha Kidane, a member of TIRA’s cabinet in charge of peace and security. However, General Taddesse Worede, head of the TDF and vice president of TIRA, was absent from the press conference. It remains unclear whether he participated in the three-day meeting or supports the resolutions passed by the attending commanders.

The resolutions underscored what the commanders called their “red lines,” which include opposition to any intervention by outside forces.

This development raises questions about how TIRA will respond and what impact this internal discord might have on relations between Mekelle and Addis Ababa. Observers are watching closely to see how the interim administration addresses these criticisms and whether the Pretoria Agreement’s implementation will proceed amidst these tensions.