The Tigray People's Liberation Front Central Committee began a high-stakes meeting in Axum on April 15, with mounting indications the party could move to reject the region's interim administration and push to restore its pre-war government structure.
The meeting follows the Office of the Prime Minister's April 8 announcement extending Lieutenant General Tadesse Worede's mandate as Tigray Interim Administration president for another year, an issue that has exposed a widening divide between TPLF and the current regional leadership.
The TPLF confirmed it is convening a formal session expected to deliberate "in depth" on key agenda items and evolving political developments, with concrete directions and decisions anticipated. Regional political leaders maintain the language is deliberately vague, noting that when a party at this level signals "decisions," it usually means internal consensus has already been shaped.
Politicians and observers say the gathering could produce decisions that directly challenge the legitimacy of the interim administration, raising the risk of renewed confrontation with the federal government.
Yosef Berhe, vice chairman of the Baytona Party, expressed his belief that the TPLF is seeking to dismantle the interim arrangement and reinstate the pre-war regional government. He warned the party may formally reject the president's appointment and begin moves to reassert its former authority.
"They could declare that they do not accept the president and proceed to restore the previous government," he told The Reporter Ethiopia.
However, Berhe suggested TPLF is unlikely to make such a move outright, given the risk of triggering another conflict. Instead, he predicts the central committee may attempt to frame the push as a grassroots demand originating from local councils, a strategy already used in parts of the Central Zone, where three woreda councils have called for the dissolution of the interim administration.
"This is often presented as public pressure, but it is coordinated," Berhe said, adding that ambiguous statements could be used to gradually undermine the current administration without directly escalating tensions.
Alemseged Aragay, vice chairman and foreign relations head of Tigray Independence Party (TIP), warns the situation has reached a dangerous turning point. While he believes President Tadesse had previously aligned with TPLF's interests, the party has now shifted to openly rejecting the extension of his tenure.
He stated that TPLF has declared the president's power extension as illegal and unacceptable, > "raising the possibility of renewed conflict."
"The region is not in a position to carry another round of war," Alemseged emphasized.
The controversy has prompted President Tadesse to give a briefing this week addressing the extension issues. In his remarks, he revealed that the budget allocated to the Tigray region had been cut off since October and that relations with the federal government had been severed for the past three months.
Regarding opposition to the extension of his term, Tadesse said: > "Saying 'we do not accept it' is a matter of rights, so there is nothing I can do about it." However, he added that rejecting the appointment itself is not acceptable, describing such a stance as > "childish."
Responding to criticism about traveling alone to Addis Ababa, he said: > "Tigray's politics is difficult; it has become like a husband and wife who do not trust each other and quarrel."
The president acknowledged there is interest in restoring the pre-war government and regional council but stressed that any process must follow legal and institutional procedures. He warned that > "attempting to change government through social media agitation and unrest" is not only incorrect but could lead to conflict.
"The people of Tigray have had enough of war. I have fought for more than 50 years; I am not someone who acts simply because I am told to do so," Tadesse said.
Former fighters and TPLF central committee members have voiced opposition through the TPLF-affiliated Woyen newspaper, arguing that the appointment violates the Pretoria Agreement and that the region should not be governed by what they described as a "puppet" administration.
Political actors and observers say the Axum meeting signals growing pressure on Tadesse's administration and suggest he may face a fate similar to that of Getachew Reda, his predecessor.
The TPLF Central Committee meeting represents a critical juncture in the implementation of the November 2022 Pretoria Agreement, which ended the two-year Tigray conflict. The agreement established the interim administration as a transitional mechanism, but tensions over its legitimacy and duration have persisted. The current crisis echoes broader challenges in Ethiopia's federal system, where regional autonomy and federal oversight remain sources of friction. Similar disputes over interim arrangements have occurred in other conflict-affected regions, highlighting the difficulties of managing post-conflict political transitions while maintaining national unity.
