Ethiopia: The Interview – No Historical, Demographic, or Constitutional Basis for Amhara Claims On Western Tigray – Historian Tesfakiros Arefe

Addis Abeba — The Tigray Interim Administration’s cabinet, led by Lieutenant General Tadesse Werede, issued a statement on 30 April, 2025, accusing federal government media outlets and the Amhara regional state’s media and communication bureau of violating the country’s constitution and the Pretoria Peace Agreement. The statement alleges that these entities disseminated messages “falsely claiming Western Tigray as part of the Amhara region.”

“Some federal government media outlets, the Amhara regional state’s media, and its communication bureau are repeatedly transmitting messages claiming that Western Tigray is part of the Amhara region, in violation of the Pretoria agreement and the country’s constitution,” the statement reads.

Among the evidence cited by the Tigray Interim Administration was a Tigrinya report by the Ethiopian Press Agency. Published on 09 April, 2025, under the headline “Roads Connecting Zones of the Amhara Region Are Under Construction,” the report mentioned a road linking Gondar to Humera. The cabinet’s statement emphasized that “while Humera is a territory of Tigray located in Western Tigray, the report referred to it as connecting with Gondar as if it were part of the Amhara region.” Although the report was later removed, screenshots had already circulated on social media, sparking widespread discussion.

Another example highlighted by the cabinet was coverage of a fundraising event at the Sheraton Addis on 28 April, 2025, titled “Come, Let’s Beautify Gondar.” The statement noted that “during this event, which was attended by high-ranking federal government officials, donations were solicited in the name of Wolkait, Tsegede, Setit, and Humera.” The administration condemned this as “a conspiracy intended to convey the message that Western Tigray is part of the Amhara region.”

Additionally, the Tigray Interim Administration pointed to an 16 April, 2025, broadcast by the Amhara Regional State Communication Bureau, titled “The Tekeze Generation Is Expected to Demonstrate Its Guardianship of Tekeze in Practice” The report stated, “Leaders who received military training in the Wolkait, Tegede, Setit, and Humera zones of the Amhara region have completed their training and graduated.”

“This message explicitly presented Humera as part of the Amhara region, which clearly violates the Pretoria Peace Agreement and the country’s constitution,” the interim administration stated, calling it “a very dangerous unilateral act that violates the Pretoria Agreement, jeopardizes the ongoing peace process, and could incite conflict.”

The cabinet urged the Amhara regional state’s media and communication bureau to cease “these dangerous and repeated conspiracies, as they harm the social interaction and brotherhood of the two peoples and violate the Pretoria Peace Agreement.” It also called on the federal government to investigate the matter, take corrective action, and ensure full implementation of the Pretoria Agreement.

In a recent meeting with Jens Hanefeld, Germany’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Observer to the African Union, Lieutenant General Tadesse Werede, the newly appointed President of the Tigray Interim Administration, described the on-the-ground situation: “Nearly 40% of Tigray remains under the grip of external forces.”

The president made this remark in reference to Western Tigray and parts of Southern Tigray, areas currently under the control of forces aligned with the Amhara region. In addition, Eritrean troops continue to occupy portions of Northern and Northeastern Tigray.

Reflecting on the current situation, Lt. General Tadesse stated that the primary concern in Tigray today is the repatriation of displaced residents and the full restoration of the region’s constitutional boundaries. “Above all else, the interim administration’s mission is to ensure the region’s territorial boundaries as enshrined in the constitution…,” the president said.

Click here to download the HD E-version

In a lengthy interview published in The Addis Standard Quarterly Journal (ASQJ), Issue #1, Tesfakiros Arefe, an author, researcher, and historian specializing in Tigray’s political and administrative history, explained why the ongoing occupation of territories such as Western Tigray and parts of Southern Tigray poses a fundamental challenge to Ethiopia’s federal system and multinational constitution.

People have lost their trust in the federal system.” Tesfakiros on the challenges Ethiopia’s constitution faces in accommodating Tigray

He clarified, “The constitution has no problem” in this regard, emphasizing that “there is a legal procedure in the constitution to solve such problems.” However, he underscored the current reality, noting that “what we witness at present is the forcible annexation of areas of one region to another in violation of the provisions in the constitution.”

Tesfakiros elaborated on the historical context, stating that “following the overthrow of the dictatorial military regime in 1991, regions were established based on ethno-linguistic delimitations.” To support his argument, he referenced the 2007 census, which, he said, “showed that 97% of the population of Wolkait in Western Tigray was Tigrigna-speaking, while 3% was Amharic-speaking.”

He further explained, “Three decades later, the Amhara region occupied some areas of Tigray forcibly and raised the question of identity. Regional states have the right to raise boundary issues but not identity questions, which is the right of the people to demand–not politicians.”

Tesfakiros argued that “there is nothing different in the Pretoria agreement, as its core point is reinstating the Constitution, the return of the unconstitutionally annexed areas to Tigray, and resolving it constitutionally is a given.” From this perspective, he affirmed, “The Constitution and the Pretoria agreement are clear.”

However, he identified a critical obstacle: “the fact that the Prosperity Party has been using these areas for political bargaining.” To illustrate, he cited the peace agreement’s provision requiring the withdrawal of non-ENDF forces from Tigray. “But the withdrawal of non-ENDF forces has not yet been done,” he pointed out, highlighting that “all these facts clearly indicate that the federal government is being dishonest both toward the Constitution and the peace agreement.”

Tesfakiros expanded his critique, asserting, “The federal government was not loyal to the constitution of the country before, and it is not loyal to the peace agreement now.” He warned that “the perpetuation of such actions has been further eroding the trust of the people in the federation.”

He continued his criticism, stating, “It is obvious that the federal government wants the forces of Amhara, Tigray, and Eritrea to be engaged in war in those areas to take advantage of the situation and independently conduct federal decisions.” In his view, “Tigray’s territorial integrity has become a political bargain, further complicated by hegemonic unitarians who cling to the political legacy of their forefathers–dividing Tigray and weakening its political economy.”

According to Tesfakiros, “there is no historical precedent showing that the area belonged to the Amhara, nor is there any demographic or constitutional legitimacy to support such a claim.” He also maintained that “the solution to this problem is simple.”

Tesfakiros elaborated at length: “Had the federal government, along with its allies, faithfully implemented the peace pact it signed and resolved the current problems quickly, Tigrayans could have viewed it as a sign of reckoning and remorse for the political, economic, and social destruction they endured.” Nevertheless, he emphasized again, “The federal government was not loyal to the constitution of the country before, and it is not loyal to the peace agreement now. The persistence of such actions has further eroded the trust of the people in the federation.”