Lt. Gen. Tadesse Werede named the new interim president of the Tigray region

Lt. Gen. Tadesse Werede was named the interim president of the Tigray region on Tuesday, replacing Getachew Reda. 

Before his appointment, Tedese acted as the deputy president of Tigray’s interim administration and head of the cabinet secretariat for peace and security. 

He has been mandated to ensure the full return of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their original homes.  

In a one-page document he signed, he is also expected to ensure the swift disarmament and reintegration of former combatants in line with the Pretoria Agreement. 

The swearing-in ceremony was attended by key dignitaries from the government and the newly elected Chairperson of the African Union (AU), Mahmoud Ali Youssouf. 

There were concerns in the region that the widening political split within the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) could lead to a full-fledged civil war like the one that ended in 2022 with the signing of a peace agreement. 

The party has been calling for the firing of Reda and others since last year, attempting to appoint a new set of its endorsed candidates and removing him and some cabinet members from party membership. 

In March, armed soldiers loyal to the party took over the administrations of key towns, including the region’s second biggest city, Adigrat, in what Reda termed as a “coup,” and with escalating conflict, he fled to the capital, Addis Ababa.