Mekelle፡Telaviv, Nairobi, Pretoria, London,April 8፡2025 (Tigray Herald)
Lt. Gen. Tadesse named #Tigray’s interim president
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has appointed a new leader for the war-scarred Tigray region. General Tadesse Worede, who commanded Tigrayan rebel forces during the two-year civil war, replaces Getachew Reda as interim president – a role that was set up as part of a peace deal to end the conflict. There’ve been warnings of a possible return to violence because of the party infighting and tensions with neighbouring Eritrea.
Lt. Gen. Tadesse Werede has officially taken over as the interim president of Tigray, replacing Getachew Reda. Previously serving as deputy president and head of the cabinet secretariat for peace and security of the Tigray interim administration, Tadesse steps into leadership following months of internal discord within the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (#TPLF).
“Today marks the peaceful and formal implementation of a leadership transition program – an important step toward cultivating a new political culture,” said Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
The leadership shift follows divisions that emerged after TPLF’s 14th Congress in August 2024, leading to a split between factions led by Debretsion Gebremichael and Getachew Reda. Despite attempts at mediation by religious and civil society groups, tensions between the factions continued to escalate, leading Getachew and some of his key allies to depart from Tigray.
Prime Minister Abiy later told law makers the expiration of the Tigray Interim Administration’s mandate and suggested leadership changes were imminent. In a controversial move, however, PM Abiy called for the people of Tigray to submit leadership nominations via email, a decision rejected by Debretsion’s faction as a violation of the Pretoria Agreement, which mandates a politically negotiated approach to forming an interim administration.
The TPLF also said that “discussions were held with the Ethiopian government to determine a replacement. An evaluation of the Interim Administration’s performance revealed its shortcomings, leading to a consensus that the president should be replaced. Consequently, the TPLF’s Central Committee proposed General Tadesse Werede for the position, which was accepted by the Ethiopian government.”
But it is not clear if the appointment of Tadesse came as a result of the agreement that the TPLF said it reached with the federal government.
Lt. Gen. Tadesse, a highly regarded military leader, played a critical role during the two-year brutal war in the Tigray region and was instrumental in negotiating the Pretoria and Nairobi peace agreements.
