Tigray Peace and Security Bureau rejected the suspension of its military commanders as illegal, argued President Getachew Reda lacks the authority to take such actions.
On March 10, 2025, Tigray Interim Regional Administration (TIRA) President Getachew Reda suspended three senior commanders of the Tigray armed forces, accusing them of defying and undermining the interim administration’s authority and decisions. According to the official letters, their actions were dragging the region further into chaos, deepening divisions within the security forces, and potentially leading to civil war.
The suspension, described as temporary, will remain in effect until necessary administrative discussions are held. Major General Yohannes Woldegiorgis, Brigadier General Migbey Haile, and Major General Masho Beyene are the suspended military officials.
The suspension letters followed a March 8, 2025, general statement from the interim administration’s communication bureau, which warned certain commanders against aligning with Debretsion Gebremichael’s faction of the TPLF to forcibly replace members of the TIRA.
In response, the Tigray Peace and Security Bureau, led by General Fisaha Kidanu, announced today, March 11, 2025, that the suspensions are illegal, arguing that President Getachew Reda lacks the authority to take such actions. The bureau asserted that the president cannot dismiss individuals he did not appoint.
The statement further claimed that the president’s decision violates established internal protocols, is a unilateral act, and constitutes an abuse of power aimed at halting security forces’ efforts against crime and criminal activity. Additionally, the bureau vowed to continue its action of ‘law enforcement operation’ to uphold “law and constitutional order.”
On March 10, 2025, late evening, the TPLF office has also issued a statement on its Facebook page condemning the suspension of the three commanders, who had reportedly been working to seize seals and stamps from local administrators appointed by the TIRA and replace them with officials loyal to Debretsion’s faction of TPLF.
The TPLF accused Getachew Reda of attempting to dismantle the armed forces and warned that they would not remain idle in response. Debretsion’s faction referred to Getachew as the “former president,” claiming that he had been dismissed from the party during the congress meeting last year and should have been replaced as TIRA president. Like the Peace and Security Bureau, the TPLF office stated that Getachew’s decisions had no legal basis and could not be implemented by the military.
On March 11, 2025, President Getachew Reda responded to the Peace and Security Bureau’s statement, accusing it of acting as “the military wing of an illegal factional group” and ”exacerbating the already unstable” security situation in Tigray. He criticized the bureau’s leader for failing to take action against individuals involved in land embezzlement, illegal mining, human trafficking, arms smuggling, and contraband trade, issues that the administration had instructed him to address. Instead, Getachew stated, the bureau was working to dismantle the interim administration by siding with Debretsion’s faction.
In a televised press briefing on March 10, Getachew accused certain military commanders and Debretsion’s faction of the TPLF of undermining the Pretoria Agreement and threatening Tigrayan unity. He also dismissed the legitimacy of Debretsion’s faction, arguing that their internal party congress lacked broad acceptance and did not meet the party’s legal requirements. He reminded the public that the faction is not legally recognized as a party by Ethiopia’s National Electoral Board due to its failure to follow the minimum legal procedures required to hold a congress.
Getachew has been accusing his former colleagues of sabotaging his leadership from the moment he was elected by the TPLF and approved by Ethiopia’s Prime Minister to head the region. He has also been alleged that they never genuinely accepted the ceasefire agreement.
The division within the TPLF, between factions led by Debretsion Gebremichael and Interim Administration President Getachew Reda, has existed since Getachew’s appointment, or perhaps even earlier, following the Pretoria Agreement. However, tensions have escalated significantly in recent weeks, particularly after senior Tigray armed forces officials declared their allegiance to the TPLF Office and, through an official statement, expressed their intention to replace Getachew’s TPLF faction in the interim administration with Debretsion’s group, also known as the “Office of the TPLF.