Addis Ababa – Ethiopia on Tuesday appointed a new leader of the interim administration in the northern Tigray region to ease months of tensions between rival factions that threatened a fragile peace agreement.
Tigray still suffers from the aftermath of a brutal two-year conflict, ended by a 2022 peace deal that established the interim administration.
The war was one of the deadliest in recent decades, claiming roughly 600,000 lives and pitting Tigrayan rebels against federal forces, supported by local militias and the Eritrean army.
In recent weeks, an internal power struggle emerged between Getachew Reda, the former regional head, and the leader of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), Debretsion Gebremichael.
The interim administration announced the appointment of Getachew’s deputy Tadesse Werede, who pledged to carry out his “responsibilities diligently”, according to an internal document signed by him and seen by AFP.
It said he would pursue policies that include disarmament, tackling displacement and preparing the region for elections.
Writing on X, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said they had “officially and peacefully implemented a program to facilitate the transfer of power”.
Over the past month, extensive discussions have taken place putting into consideration the Ethiopian Constitution, the Pretoria Agreement and the perspectives of the diplomatic community. Following the conclusion that a transitional government should continue—tasked with key… pic.twitter.com/vDK0iXYsMo
— Abiy Ahmed Ali 🇪🇹 (@AbiyAhmedAli) April 8, 2025
Tadesse has a “clear understanding of both the strengths and shortcomings of the previous administration, and many believe he is well-positioned to guide Tigray through this critical transition”, Abiy wrote.
While peace has mostly returned to the region, a failure to fully implement the terms of the 2022 Pretoria peace deal has fuelled divisions within the Tigrayan political elite.
In the past weeks, armed supporters of Debretsion took over Adigrat, the region’s second largest town, ousting the mayor appointed by Getachew.
Analysts have suggested that Getachew’s faction had slowly lost control, with the renewal of the interim administration’s mandate presenting an opportune moment to let him go.
Tadesse Werede is leader with the most support and respect among the Tigrayan population, Kjetil Tronvoll, a professor at Oslo New University College and a specialist in the Horn of Africa, told AFP.
But, he said, the tasks facing him are huge, from stabilising Tigray’s political situation and trying to implement of the missing points of the peace agreement.
The African Union, headquartered in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, has expressed “deep concern” over renewed tensions in the region.
The conflict within the TPLF took a worrying turn in early March, when Getachew dismissed several senior officers within the Tigray Defense Forces (TDF), accused of plotting a coup.
In an attempt to end tensions in the region, the federal authorities decided to deploy a career soldier.
Tadesse Werede, born in 1958 in Mekele, the capital of Tigray. He joined the fight against the communist Derg regime, which fell in 1991.
After working in the defence ministry, he served from 2011 to 2013 as commander-in-chief of the UN force for the Abyei region, a disputed area between Sudan and South Sudan.
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