The newly emerging armed group says it has entered Tigray sparking fear of intra-civil war
Few months ago a new armed faction composed of Senior former Tigray Defense Forces commanders, fighters and interim administration officials has declared its intent to overthrow the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, stoking fears that the war-torn Tigray could be sliding into an intra-civil war.
The group, which calls itself the Tigray Peace Force, was established after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and elements within the TDF forcibly retook control of several local administrations across Tigray, pushing out officials of the interim administration.
The group claims to fight for the political “liberation” of Tigray from what it calls an authoritarian and exclusionary rule by the TPLF.
“Our mission is to snatch power from the TPLF and its affiliates within the TDF who continue to hold the people of Tigray hostage,” Shewit Bitew, one of the prominent figures in the new armed group stated.
Multiple sources suggest the group has received logistical and financial support from the federal government, a charge Addis Ababa has not publicly addressed.
Many warn that the support from the Federal government, could be a destabilizing factor in the already fragile region and may indicate federal strategy to containing or weakening the TPLF and TDF, despite the peace agreement.
After months of regrouping and training in Ethiopia’s Afar region, the group claims to have now entered Tigray.
Military commanders in the TDF have begun openly threatening to take action against the newly formed armed group.
This development has heightened tensions in Tigray still reeling from a brutal two-year war, which officially ended with the Pretoria Peace Agreement in November 2022.
Tigray’s Fragile Post-War Peace
Following the cessation of hostilities, the TPLF reasserted control over much of Tigray’s political apparatus. While hailed by some as a stabilizing force, others see the party’s return to dominance as a betrayal of the sacrifices of those who fought and lost their lives in the fight not only for the survival of the people but for a better democratic future ahead.
“People are frustrated. We fought a war hoping to liberate Tigray from external domination, but we ended up under internal authoritarianism,” said a former TDF fighter now part of the armed group.
Many say the formation of the armed group is a symptom of growing political fragmentation within Tigray, as well as lingering dissatisfaction among ex-combatants who feel their cause has been betrayed by their leaders and commanders.
TPLF and TDF officials, however, have publicly dismissed the new group as “externally influenced” and “criminals,” accusing the federal government of exploiting divisions to weaken Tigray.
The Making of the Tigray Peace Force
The TPF emerged after the TPLF, along with elements of the TDF, forcibly retook control of local administrations across Tigray earlier this year. This pushed out officials from the interim administration, some of whom later regrouped and helped form the new armed group.
Those aligned with the TPF accuse the TPLF of reversing the sacrifices made by the people by consolidating power and failing to deliver political reform or economic recovery. Former fighters say they feel their cause has been abandoned by the military and political leadership.
Although their exact strength and territorial presence remain unclear the group is composed of TDF officers, rank-and-file fighters, and former officials from the ousted interim administration led by Getachew Reda., the armed group and have already begun to influence discourse within Tigrayan.
It is reportedly gaining traction among various segments of the population who are dissatisfied with the political and military leadership and also the economic hardship brought on by the devastating war on Tigray.
Observers say the TPF does not yet pose a conventional threat to the TDF. However, even symbolic challenges could erode internal cohesion within the TDF, many of whose veterans harbor grievances over post-war treatment and a lack of economic reintegration.
Proxy Pressures and Foreign Hands
The timing of the TPF’s emergence is particularly noteworthy, coinciding with increasing tension between Ethiopia and Eritrea governments.
Multiple sources and analysts say the group’s operations in Afar were tolerated, if not outright enabled by federal government, raising questions about Addis Ababa’s role in exacerbating tensions in the post-war region.
At the same time, many reports suggest that the TPLF is receiving quiet backing from Eritrea, its former wartime enemy. Despite the bitter history of Eritreas involvement in the war on Tigray reports alleged that Asmara may be investing in a TPLF led political bloc to counterbalance rising tensions between the Ethiopian and Eritrean government.
However the people caught in between, are the same civilians who survived airstrikes, famine, mass displacement and gross human rights violations committed by both the Ethiopian and Eritreans governments only two years ago.
What Lies Ahead?
For many in Tigray, the scars of the last war remain fresh, and the prospect of internal bloodshed is a chilling one.
“I lost my brother fighting for Tigray,” said Aregawi, a resident of Mekelle. “Now I’m told we might fight each other. That’s not the future we wanted.”
While full scale conflict is not inevitable, the signs are troubling. The return of armed political movements, growing disillusionment with leadership, and unresolved political threaten to undo progress made since 2022.