ADF STAFF
The splintered Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) continues to bicker over many issues amid swirling security crises in Ethiopia’s northern region.
Two years after a peace deal was signed to end a civil war, armed groups continue to operate in Tigray, while human trafficking and illegal gold mining networks further destabilize the area.
Debretsion Gebremichael, who leads one faction, announced in late December 2024 that his side was launching a “peaceful struggle” during a meeting with senior leaders in Mekelle, but he did not elaborate on what that means.
The announcement was made amid allegations from a TPLF group led by Getachew Reda that Debretsion’s side is recruiting and arming young fighters, possibly to prepare for another round of war. Getachew is also president of Tigray’s interim administration.
The previous week, Debretsion accused Getachew’s faction of betraying the interests of the people and said they had “separated themselves from the TPLF,” BBC Amharic reported.
“The group committing national treason has defamed the TPLF’s reputation by betraying the national interests of Tigray and presenting demands to the Ethiopian government,” a statement from Debretsion’s group said. Debretsion also implied that Getachew’s group is causing Tigray security forces to disarm.
In November 2022, Ethiopia’s government and the TPLF signed the Pretoria Agreement to end the two-year Tigray war. Ethiopian Defense Chief of Staff Field Marshal Berhanu Jula in September 2024 acknowledged that TPLF fighters had not laid down their weapons as part of the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) process. He linked the stalled DDR to funding problems, which he said the government was working to correct.
Berhanu told Lualawi Media there is no timeline for the total disarmament of an estimated 75,000 to 100,000 TPLF fighters.
Debretsion also took issue with a proposal to merge the Tigray army with the Ethiopian army “and the request for the army to be under the interim administration of Tigray until the DDR is completed,” BBC Amharic reported.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took umbrage with this when the two factions met with government officials in early December in a mediation bid.
“You are confusing the people by saying that the ‘Tigray army’ is on our side so that the interim administration cannot carry out its work,” Abiy said in the BBC Amharic report.
The two sides traded accusations throughout the daylong meeting, during which Debretsion called for Getachew’s removal as president of Tigray’s interim administration. Abiy rejected the request.
Both factions seek support from Tigray’s security forces, which mostly have remained neutral.
“At this point, any move by Tigray’s security forces to support either faction would plunge the region into more violence,” researchers with the Institute for Security Studies wrote. “Both sides have popular support, with the youth demanding real changes in the political landscape. Most Tigray security force members are young, so any misstep by their leaders could lead them into violence that will be hard to control.”
Eferem Kidanu, a project coordinator at the Tigray Youth Association (TYA), said the ongoing strife among the TPLF factions and federal government has allowed criminal networks to operate with impunity.
“Along with the damage caused by the conflict, the economic hardships faced by society, high unemployment rates, and ongoing political instability are among the main drivers behind the rise of human trafficking and illegal migration in Tigray,” Eferem told Ethiopian newspaper The Reporter. “Party factionalism within Tigray has also led to increased insecurity and uncertainty, prompting many youths to seek opportunities elsewhere.”
Illegal gold mining also has bloomed amid the political tensions. Dozens of people in Tigray were killed in altercations over gold between April and July 2024, according to The Reporter. Conflicts have involved armed groups and foreign nationals, mostly Chinese.
Besides Tigray’s turmoil, the Ethiopian National Defense Force is facing security challenges in the Amhara region that borders Tigray and the Oromia region, which borders Amhara.
Since 2018, hundreds of thousands of civilians have been killed, mainly in these regions, and 4.5 million people have been displaced, according to the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect. Conflict and climate factors have left 21.4 million people in need of assistance.
