Ethiopia: Tigray Interim Admin’s Warning Over ‘Dangerous’ Clandestine ‘Foreign Engagement’ Adds to Mounting Accusations Against TPLF

Addis Abeba — The Tigray Interim Regional Administration has issued a warning against any unsanctioned engagement with foreign powers, describing such actions as “dangerous” and a threat to the war-torn region’s governability.

The statement, released Thursday by the Tigray Communication Affairs Bureau, comes amid renewed federal-level accusations against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) of links with Eritrea.

The interim government emphasized that while it remains committed to peace and the full implementation of the Pretoria Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA), “clandestine foreign dealings risk undermining” that fragile progress.

“Any contact with a foreign power whose purpose and strategic approach are unknown is unacceptable,” the statement released via the region’s communication bureau reads, calling such dealings “a dangerous approach that will make the Tigray region ungovernable.”

The bureau reiterated that the Tigrayan people are engaged in a “peaceful political struggle” aimed at safeguarding their “survival and national interests,” and emphasized the importance of resolving disputes “not only with the federal government but also with any power in a peaceful and legal manner.”

The statement also included a pledge from Lt. Gen. Tadesse Werede, President of the Interim Administration, who, upon taking power, signed a mission implementation document outlining eight core mandates. These include ending “unconstitutional and unlawful affiliations” and upholding national sovereignty.

The statement coincided with the controversial arrest and sudden release of social media activist Berhane Gebregergis by the Tigray Police Commission. Berhane was taken into custody at Ayder Police Station in Mekelle after a public outcry over his meeting with Awol Seid, a figure closely linked to Eritrean government propaganda.

The arrest sparked immediate backlash, particularly because of Eritrea’s violent role in the two-year brutal war in Tigray. Though the police initially declined to comment, on Wednesday they announced they were dropping the investigation due to “external pressure that compromised [their] ability to act independently.”

The statement from the region adds up to growing accusations of links between the TPLF led by its chairman Debretsion Gebremichael and the regime in Asmara.

“The decision was made due to external pressures,” the Commission said, without disclosing the sources of the alleged interference.

Growing accusations

The statement from the region adds up to growing accusations of links between the TPLF led by its chairman Debretsion Gebremichael and the regime in Asmara. In a February article to Al-Jazeera, Mulatu Teshome Wirtu, the former president of Ethiopia, has accused Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki of attempting to “exploit divisions within the TPLF” to undermine the Pretoria Peace Agreement, warning that his actions could “reignite war in northern Ethiopia.” Asmara dismissed the accusation calling it “audacious claim…precisely intended to conceal and rationalize a war-mongering agenda.”

Similarly former Tigray Interim President Getachew Reda has repeatedly warned of efforts by Eritrea and “rogue” TPLF elements to destabilize the region.

“There are many parties who think they can benefit from turmoil that will be created in Tigray,” he said in a March 13 press briefing, directly naming the Eritrean government as one of those actors. “They want to plot a path back to Addis Abeba by working with our people.”

Getachew further accused unnamed former TPLF factions of operating outside legal frameworks and conspiring to trigger renewed conflict.

“Certain TPLF groups who have lost legal acceptance are hoping to profit from war,” he said, warning that such forces are “taking Tigray into another phase of turmoil.”

However, although Getachew has repeatedly pledged to provide evidence, he has yet to substantiate his claims.

On 3 May, a senior federal official, Suleiman Dedefo, posted a serious accusation against the TPLF, calling the party a “criminal group” that continues to “operate outside the law and endanger national security.”

“From the time it launched an attack on our defense forces in the Northern Command until now, it has been committing numerous illegal acts that challenge the existence of our country,” said Suleiman.

He claimed that the TPLF is attempting to revive military operations with “external support”, and conducting foreign relations without legal authority.

“This mafia group, which has no legal standing, should not be allowed to engage in actions that could contradict the sovereignty of our country for any reason,” he warned.

The competing accusations and internal fissures point to an increasingly fragile political environment in Tigray, as the region navigates its post-war reconstruction under federal oversight. With the Pretoria Agreement remaining an incomplete central pillar for peace, these accusations are raising the specter of a potential regional conflict.