Tigray Crisis Deepens as TPLF Faction Seizes Key Towns

Tigray’s Interim Government Seeks Federal Intervention Amid Escalating Conflict

ADDIS ABABA, March 13, 2025 – The interim administration of Ethiopia’s Tigray region has called on the Ethiopian federal government to step in following the seizure of two major towns by a faction of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The takeover has left several individuals injured and sparked fears of renewed conflict in the war-scarred region.

On Tuesday, the breakaway TPLF faction took control of Adigrat, Tigray’s second-largest town, displacing the local administrator aligned with the interim government and installing its own leadership. The following night, the group seized Adi-Gudem, a town near the regional capital, Mekele. Reports indicate that during the occupation of a government building in Adi-Gudem, several people suffered gunshot wounds in the ensuing violence.

The developments mark a significant escalation in internal strife within the TPLF, which waged a devastating two-year war against Ethiopian federal forces. That conflict, which began in November 2020, led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands, displaced millions, and pushed many to the brink of famine. A peace agreement signed in November 2022 brought an end to hostilities and established a TPLF-led interim government, aimed at restoring stability.

However, internal divisions have since fractured the TPLF. In October, the party’s leader, Debretsion Gebremichael, expelled interim government head Getachew Reda and four members of his cabinet. In response, Reda, who played a crucial role in negotiating the peace accord, temporarily suspended four senior military commanders whom he suspected of aligning with Gebremichael’s faction.

“The region may be on the brink of another crisis,” the Tigray Communication Affairs Bureau, part of the interim administration, warned in a statement on Wednesday.

Reda has characterized the TPLF faction’s recent moves as a “potential coup attempt” and has urged international stakeholders to remain vigilant. In a televised statement, he underscored the importance of the global community—one of the key guarantors of the Pretoria Peace Agreement—closely monitoring the deteriorating situation.

“The parties to the Pretoria Agreement should carefully assess the worsening conditions in Tigray and the profound consequences of the agreement’s potential unraveling,” Reda stated.

Meanwhile, TPLF deputy chairman Amanuel Assefa rejected claims that the group’s actions violate the peace accord, arguing instead that they are primarily a matter of law enforcement.

“The TPLF and the Tigray forces are the rightful custodians of the Pretoria Agreement. There is no reason to engage in activities that would undermine it,” Assefa told The Associated Press.

With tensions mounting and the stability of the region at stake, the coming days will prove critical in determining whether Ethiopia can avert another devastating conflict in Tigray.