Ethiopia’s Tigray region is witnessing an alarming escalation of violence and political unrest 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. The interim government of Tigray has appealed for federal intervention after the armed group’s takeover, which has left several people wounded and the region on edge.
On Tuesday, the TPLF faction captured Adigrat, the second-largest town in the region, and installed a new administrator, displacing the official loyal to the Tigray interim government. Just one day later, on Wednesday night, the faction took control of Adi-Gudem, a key town located near the regional capital of Mekele, triggering violent clashes. In Adi-Gudem, armed forces loyal to the interim government attempted to occupy a government building, leading to gunfire that left several people wounded.
The TPLF’s actions are seen as a significant political and military challenge to the stability of the region. The group’s aggressive moves come more than two years after the end of the brutal civil conflict between the TPLF and Ethiopian federal forces, which resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths, millions displaced, and widespread humanitarian crises. The war, which began in November 2020, ended in November 2022 with the signing of a peace agreement and the establishment of a TPLF-led interim government in Tigray.
Despite the peace deal, tensions within the TPLF have been mounting. In October 2024, the party splintered when its leader, Debretsion Gebremichael, expelled Getachew Reda, the head of the interim government, and four other cabinet members. Reda, who played a pivotal role in negotiating the peace agreement, retaliated by temporarily suspending four senior military commanders he believed were aligned with Gebremichael’s faction.
“The region may be on the brink of another crisis,” warned a statement from the Tigray Communication Affairs Bureau, a government body under the interim administration, issued on Wednesday. Reda has gone further to describe the TPLF faction’s recent actions as a “potential coup attempt” that could unravel the fragile peace in the region.
In an interview with the press, Reda urged the international community to closely monitor the escalating situation in Tigray. He called on the guarantors of the Pretoria Peace Agreement, including the African Union and the United Nations, to intervene and prevent further destabilization in the region. “The parties to the Pretoria Agreement should really take into account the deteriorating situation in Tigray and the far-reaching ramifications of the unraveling of the Pretoria agreements,” he said, stressing the need for swift international action.
However, the TPLF’s deputy chairman, Amanuel Assefa, dismissed the allegations of a coup and denied that the faction’s actions violated the terms of the peace agreement. Speaking to the Associated Press, Assefa claimed that the recent crises were linked to internal law enforcement issues and not a challenge to the peace deal. “The TPLF and the Tigray forces are the rightful owners of the Pretoria Agreement. Therefore, there is no reason to engage in any actions that would violate that,” he said.
The recent developments in Tigray have raised serious concerns about the future of peace and stability in the region. With the TPLF faction gaining momentum and internal divisions deepening, the risk of a renewed conflict looms large. Ethiopia’s federal government, along with international stakeholders, faces mounting pressure to address the growing unrest and ensure that the hard-won peace does not collapse into another devastating war.
The situation remains fluid, with both the Ethiopian government and the TPLF faction at a critical juncture. The international community’s role in mediating and providing support will be crucial in preventing a return to full-scale conflict and ensuring that the Pretoria Peace Agreement holds.
