Mekelle — The President of the Tigray Interim Administration, Lt. Gen. Tadesse Werede, has warned of a “visible cloud of war” amid mounting tensions and called on the federal government to honor key provisions of the Pretoria Peace Agreement.
Speaking at a two-day forum of senior leaders and TPLF cadres held over the weekend, Lt. Gen. Tadesse cautioned that the political and security situation remains fragile. “As we all know, the current situation is complicated. There is a visible cloud of war. There are big and small situations that change from time to time. In the meantime, the possibility of peace is not closed,” he told participants.
He attributed Tigray’s growing vulnerability both to the federal government’s “failure to honor” the accord and to internal unrest. “Our negotiation capacity has weakened, and our strength has decreased. On the other hand, an entity that works against the interests of Tigray has been created within us,” he added.
The forum, held under the theme “Campaign for National Unity,” brought together more than 800 senior Tigrayan leaders. In a closing statement, participants underscored that while the Pretoria Agreement halted full-scale conflict, the federal government’s “partial implementation” of the deal has left critical issues unresolved.
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The statement called on the federal government to respect Tigray’s constitutional sovereignty, enable the return of displaced people, and address outstanding political and humanitarian concerns. “Full implementation of the agreement is essential to end suffering and secure lasting peace in Tigray,” it read.
Participants further emphasized the need to maintain peaceful relations with neighboring peoples and regions, including Amhara, Afar, Sudan, and Eritrea, while urging the international community to support their demands for full implementation of the accord.
Reiterating their commitment to “mobilizing all strategic capacities to protect the people,” Tigray’s leadership said the unity of the region remains the foundation for “resilience, security, and progress.”
The statement comes amid rising tensions within Tigray over local administration reshuffling and the growing strain between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
In August, residents of Maichew, Southern Tigray, staged a peaceful demonstration opposing a leadership reshuffle by the Tigray Interim Administration under Lt. Gen. Tadesse Werede, following the appointment of Zenabu Gebremedhin, as chief administrator of the South Tigray zone. Protesters, who had earlier voiced concerns directly to Zenabu, demanded respect for self-rule and rejected what they described as imposed governance.
The 2025 Global Peace Index, released by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), warns that tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea pose significant risks of escalation. The report described the situation, stating that “Ethiopia/Eritrea is one of four conflict dyads with the highest risk of rapid and severe escalation in the near term.”
In a letter dated 20 June, Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos accused Eritrea of “unrelenting cooperation” with a TPLF faction and allied armed groups to launch major offensives during the rainy season, while also denouncing Asmara for “repeated provocations,” territorial occupation, and sponsoring armed groups to destabilize Ethiopia, warning that such actions violate international law and endanger fragile peace in the Horn of Africa.
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