Lt. Gen. Tadesse Werede replaced Getachew Reda as Tigray's interim president, with a focus on displaced persons' return and disarmament. Tensions within the TPLF raise concerns of further conflict.

Lieutenant General Tadesse Werede was appointed as the interim president of the Tigray region on Tuesday, succeeding Getachew Reda. Prior to this appointment, Tadesse served as the deputy president of Tigray’s interim administration and as the head of the cabinet secretariat for peace and security. He has been given the responsibility of ensuring the full return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their original homes.

In a one-page document he signed, Tadesse is also tasked with overseeing the swift disarmament and reintegration of former combatants in accordance with the Pretoria Agreement. The swearing-in ceremony was attended by key government dignitaries, along with the newly elected Chairperson of the African Union (AU), Mahmoud Ali Youssouf.

There have been concerns within the region regarding the growing political divide within the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which could potentially lead to a full-scale civil war, similar to the conflict that ended in 2022 with the signing of a peace agreement. The party has been pushing for the dismissal of Reda and other members since last year, attempting to appoint a new slate of endorsed candidates and expelling him and certain cabinet members from party membership.

In March, armed soldiers loyal to the party took control of key towns, including Adigrat, the region’s second-largest city, in what Reda described as a “coup.” As the conflict escalated, Reda fled to the capital, Addis Ababa.