May 20, 2026
Borkena
Toronto – The political forces in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, a part of Ethiopia with an estimated six to ten million population, are morphing into two major groups.
Weeks after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) declared itself the government of the Tigray regional state, more like a de facto state rather than part of the Federal government, based on the Pretoria Agreement Interim government administration, major opposition parties in the region have formed a coalition-like arrangement to march to Tigray. It has expressed interest in“unconditional negotiation” with the Federal government.
Tigray Peace Forces, Arena Tigray, Semret Party, Tinsae 70 Enderta, Baitona Tigray and Kancha Haki gathered in Addis Ababa over the weekend. They formed an entity called Council For Peace and Change in Tigray.
They all reject the TPLF decision, which reinstated the pre-war regional government council and administration by forcefully removing the Interim administration.
They have been accusing the TPLF of engaging in military and political activities that could reignite war in the region. The last thing the region needs is war and the way to maintain the relative peace the region witnessed over the past four years is by holding on to the Pretoria Agreement while working to address observed implementation problems.
The TPLF has already declared the Pretoria agreement as null and void as of last month. The decision has caused anxiety in the region over the possibility of another war in the region. However, the Federal government has not yet responded.
The newly formed council is composed of prominent former TPLF figures, including Getachew Reda, who served as TPLF spokesperson. The TPLF now see him as a “traitor” because he is working with Abiy Ahmed’s government as his advisor on East African Affairs, and also because he has turned out to be a vocal critic of the TPLF after the organization was split over the last two years.
The Tigray Peace Force is an armed group currently operating in the Afar region of Ethiopia. It used to be part of the TPLF army which was organized as “Tigray Defense Force” during the two years war between the Federal government and Tigray Regional government under TPLF leadership (fought between 2020 and 2022).
Members of the new council formed in Addis Ababa this week vow to put aside their political differences and “work together to rescue Tigray.”
They see themselves marching to Mekelle “in a short time” to remove TPLF, which is now believed to be getting political and military support from Eritrea under the arrangement for alliance under the name Tsimdo.
The TPLF dismisses them, saying that their aspiration to march to Mekelle is not practical. Council For Peace and Change in Tigray says it has a roadmap to implement its plan in Tigray.
What is noticeable is that the TPLF does not seem to have the political support and the military strength it used to have. Also, the anti-war movement has been simmering in the region for several years now.
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