ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia
Tigray Regional Interim Administration President Getachew Reda warned Thursday that the northern region of Ethiopia risks sliding into another civil war following the seizure of a key town by a faction of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which split into two rival groups last August.
Reda, in a televised statement, accused leaders of the breakaway faction of establishing ties with external forces, including Eritrea, which he said could trigger renewed conflict.
He urged the federal government to provide administrative assistance.
Reda also accused local military elements of attempting to stage a coup against the interim administration, claiming the move aims to undermine the Pretoria Peace Agreement. He urged the federal government and the international community to intervene and prevent further destabilization.
He denied requesting military intervention from the federal government, emphasizing that his appeal was solely for administrative support.
After the warning by Reda, 25 foreign missions, including the US, UK, Japan, Spain, the EU, New Zealand, Denmark, Italy and Portugal, issued a statement that expressed support for the cessation of hostilities under the Pretoria Agreement and urged all parties to de-escalate tensions in Tigray.
“We re-emphasize our full support for the cessation of hostilities agreement of November 2022, which silenced the guns,” it said.
Following the signing of the Pretoria agreement, the TPLF split into two factions in August, which led to the rejection of the interim administration and the seizure of key towns, administrative buildings and media outlets in Tigray.
Reda claimed Wednesday that his rival, Debretsion Gebremichael, seized control of the administration in the northern town of Adigrat by force the previous day.
Debretsion’s faction confirmed the takeover of Adigrat with a statement on Facebook. Getachew also dismissed on Tuesday, three senior army commanders, accusing them of attempting to plunge the region into internal conflict.
“Tigray is deprived of the rehabilitation process that should be implemented as part of the Pretoria Agreement due to some groups that have vested interests in grabbing political power and are creating a state of turmoil in the region,” he told reporters.
