Addis Ababa – Ministers in the Tigray Interim Government, led by Lt. Gen. Tadesse Werede, accused the federal media and the media and communications department of the Amhara local state of violating the country’s constitution and post-peace agreement on April 30, 2025. The statement alleges that these entities have spread the message “falsely claiming Western Tigray as part of the Amhara region.”
“Several federal media, the Amhara Regional Region media and its communications departments have repeatedly sent messages claiming that Western Tigray is part of the Amhara Region in violation of the Pretoria Agreement and the country’s constitution,” the statement said.
Among the evidence cited by the Tigray Interim administration was a report of Tigrina by the Ethiopian press. The report, issued on April 9, 2025 under the heading “Roads connecting zones in Amhara Region are under construction” mentioned the roads linking Gondar to Humera. The Cabinet’s statement emphasized that “While Mumela is Tigray’s territory in western Tigray, the report has linked Gondar as if it were part of the Amhara region.” The report was later deleted, but the screenshots were already circulating on social media, causing widespread debate.
Another example highlighted in the Cabinet was a report on a fundraising event held at Sheraton Addis on April 28, 2025, titled “Come, Let’s Beauty Gondar.” “Donations were sought in the names of Wolkait, Tsegede, Setit and Humera during this event attended by high-ranking federal officials,” the statement said. The administration has denounced this as “a conspiracy intended to convey the message that Western Tigray is part of the Amhara region.”
Additionally, the Tigray Interim administration pointed out that it was aired on April 16, 2025 by the Amhara Regional State Communication Bureau entitled “Tekeze Generation.” “Tekeze Generation is expected to demonstrate Tekeze’s protection,” the report states.
“This message explicitly presented Mumela as part of the Amhara region, which is clearly violating the Pretoria Peace Agreement and the country’s constitution,” the interim government said, “is a very dangerous, one-sided law that could violate the Pretoria Agreement, violate the ongoing peace process and cause conflict.”
The Cabinet has urged the Media and Communications Bureau of the Amhara Regional State to stop these risky and repeated conspiracies, and called on the federal government to investigate the issues, take corrective actions and ensure the full implementation of the Pretoria Agreement.
In a recent meeting with German Ethiopian ambassador to Ethiopia and permanent observer to the African Union, General Tadesse Werede described the situation for General Werede, the newly appointed president of the Tigray interim government.
The president made this statement in relation to parts of the western Tigray and southern Tigray. Furthermore, Eritrean forces continue to occupy parts of the northern and northeastern Tigray.
Reflecting the current situation, General Tadesse said that Tigray’s main concern today is the repatriation of displaced people and the full recovery of the regional constitutional boundaries. “More than anything, the mission of the interim administration is to ensure the boundaries of the territorial areas as defined by the constitution…” the president said.
To download HD e-version, click here
In a lengthy interview published in the Addis Standard Quarterly Journal (ASQJ), Issue #1, Tesfakiros arefe, author, researcher and historian Tigray’s political and administrative historian, he explained why the ongoing occupation of territories, such as the western Tigray and part of Tigray, poses fundamental challenges to the federal system and multinational system of Ethiopia.
People have lost faith in the federal system. ” Tesfakiros on the challenges facing Ethiopian constitution in addressing Chigray.
He made it clear in this respect that “the constitution has no issues,” and emphasized that “the constitution has legal procedures to resolve such issues.” However, he highlighted the current reality, noting that “what we are currently witnessing is the forced annexation of areas in areas that violate the provisions of the Constitution.”
Tesphakilos detailed the historical context, stating that “the region was established based on the removal of ethnic language following the overthrow of the dictatorship in 1991.” To support his argument, he referenced the 2007 census. He said, “It showed that 97% of the Urkite population in western Tigray is speaking Tigrignan, and 3% is speaking Amharacteristics.”
He further stated, “Thirty years later, the Amhara region forced to occupy some areas of Tigray and raised the issue of identity. Regional states have the right not to politicians but to raise the issue of identity, the right that people demand.”
Tesphakiros argued that “there is nothing different to the Pretoria Agreement. The core point is that it is given to revive the constitution, and that the unconstitutionally annexed region returns to Chigray and resolve it under the constitution.” From this point of view, he asserted that “the Constitution and the Pretoria Agreement are clear.”
However, he identified an important obstacle: “The fact that the Prosperity Party is using these areas for political negotiations.” To explain, he cited the provisions of the peace agreement calling for the withdrawal of non-ENDF troops from Tigray. “However, the withdrawal of non-ENDF forces has not yet been carried out,” he pointed out, emphasizing that “all of these facts clearly demonstrate the federal government is dishonest towards both the constitution and peace agreement.”
Tesphakiros expanded his criticism, claiming that “the federal government is not faithful to the previous country’s constitution, and is now not faithful to the peace agreement.” He warned that “perpetuation of such actions further erodes the trust of the people of the Commonwealth.”
He continued his criticism, saying, “It is clear that the federal government wants the forces of Amhara, Tigray and Eritrea to use the situation to engage in war in those regions in order to take the Federal decisions independently.” In his view, “The territorial integrity of Tigray became a political bargain, further complicated by hegemonic unitarians who cling to the political heritage of their ancestors.
According to Tesphakiros, “there is no historical precedent that the region belongs to Amhara, and there is no demographic or constitutional justification to support such a claim.” He also argued that “the solution to this problem is simple.”
Tesphakilos said, “If the federal government, along with its allies, quickly signed the current issues and faithfully implemented the peace agreements that have been resolved, Tigrayan would have been able to view it as a sign of calculation and responsibility for the political, economic and social destruction they endured.” Nevertheless, he once again emphasized, “The federal government is not faithful to the constitution of the previous nation, and now it is not faithful to the peace agreements. The persistence of such actions further eroded the trust of the people of the Union.”
Sign up for the AllAfrica newsletter for free
Get the latest African news
success!
Almost finished…
You need to check your email address.
Follow the instructions in the email you sent to complete the process.
error!
There was a problem processing the submission. Please try again later.
Neither the content of the constitution nor the structure of the federal system are the root causes of political turmoil within the country. ”
When asked whether these measures were sufficient to address the changing political demands of Tigrayan and maintain his position within Federated Ethiopia, Tesphakiros replied.
“It was easy to resolve the differences peacefully through dialogue, but the federal and local governments did not resolve them. The former, along with its accomplices, preferred to forcefully silence the latter: the Pretoria halt (COHA) of hostilities agreements.”
His assessment states that “the federal government and its allies must officially declare that there is no intention to undermine the administrative and territorial unity of the Chigray region, allowing the displaced people to return to the villages and allow the interim government to reestablish governance in those regions.”
In his lengthy interview, Tesphakilos tackles wider governance issues, including the prevalence of “failed private administrations” in many parts of the country, the “dysfunction” of Ethiopia’s federal system, and ongoing political turmoil affecting the country.
He also spoke about other topics, including the origins, achievements and challenges of Ethiopia’s multinational federalism, such as the root cause of criticism of key constitutional provisions. As
To download HD e-version, click here
