Tigray Interim President Suspends Senior Security Commanders Amid Tensions
National Rehabilitation Commission to Resume DDR Process
Tigray Interim Regional Administration Suspends Senior Security Commanders Amid Tensions
Tigray Interim Regional Administration (IRA) President Getachew Reda has suspended three senior commanders of the regional security forces amidst escalating tensions between the IRA and the security forces. The suspended commanders are Major Gen Yohannes Woldeghiorgis, Major Gen Masho Beyene, and Brigadier Gen Megbey Haile. Getachew stated that attempts to instigate bloodshed within the regional security forces have continued. He has accused a faction of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), led by party chairman Debretsion Gebremichael, of attempting a coup against the IRA with the help of senior commanders. Getachew also warned that the IRA has reached a point where it can no longer effectively administer the region. Earlier, he had ordered the head of the regional Peace and Security Office, Gen Tadesse Worede, to end unlawful deployments of certain security forces.
National Rehabilitation Commission to Resume DDR Process in Tigray
The National Rehabilitation Commission has announced the resumption of the Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) process in Tigray this week, after being stalled since late last year due to technical and political challenges. Training programs for former combatants will restart in rehabilitation camps in the regional capital, Mekelle, and Edaga Hamus. Over the next four months, the commission plans to graduate 67,000 former combatants from rehabilitation centers in the region. Since the DDR program was launched in Tigray in November 2024, 8,000 former combatants have been fully reintegrated into the community.
Opposition Party Accuses Tigray Security Forces of Imposing Martial Law
The opposition Salsay Woyane has accused senior commanders of the Tigray security forces of imposing a de facto martial law in the region, an action that was not authorized by the Interim Regional Administration (IRA). The party emphasized that this unlawful martial law violates fundamental human rights and undermines any semblance of stability in Tigray. The party further highlighted that widespread calls for the immediate revocation of this de facto decree have led to brutal repression against youth protesters. According to Salsay Woyane, the systematic dismantling of legitimate IRA institutions by the TPLF faction led by Debretsion Gebremichael and its affiliates has exacerbated tensions, jeopardizing the fragile peace in the region. The party has accused the TPLF of pushing the region toward lawlessness and called for an immediate end to this destructive course.
Benshangul Gumuz Regional MP Arrested Following Petition on Constitutional Amendment
Security forces in Benshangul Gumuz regional state have arrested an opposition regional MP, Yohannes Tessema, following a petition to the federal Constitutional Inquiry Council challenging a recent amendment to the regional constitution. Yohannes was arrested while traveling to Addis Ababa to attend hearings on the petition. Along with two other members of the regional council from the opposition Boro Democratic Party, Yohannes submitted the petition opposing the amendment, which increased the number of regional council seats from 99 to 165 and potentially redrew electoral districts. The petitioners argue that the regional council lacks the constitutional authority to make such changes. In response to the petition, the regional government accused some members of the Boro Democratic Party of engaging in activities intended to incite conflict in the region.
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