Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed on Tuesday, April 8, announced the appointment of General Tadesse Worede Tesfay as the new leader of the interim administration in the northern Tigray region.
General Tadesse replaced Getachew Reda in an effort to address tensions and a power struggle within the regional ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), following a devastating civil war in Tigray region from 2020 to 2022 after which an interim administration was formed for the region as part of a peace deal that ended the conflict.
“Today, we officially and peacefully implemented a program to facilitate the transfer of power, ushering in a new political culture. General Tadesse Worede, who served as … Getachew’s deputy for the past two years, has been entrusted with this leadership role,” Abiy said in a lengthy post on his X (formerly Twitter) account.
“He has a clear understanding of both the strengths and shortcomings of the previous administration, and many believe he is well-positioned to guide Tigray through this critical transition,” he added.
The prime minister said he hoped the new regional president “will seize this historic opportunity to help the people of Tigray realize their aspirations for peace and development—just like their fellow citizens across the country—and in doing so, contribute meaningfully to Ethiopia and Africa as a whole”.
The appointment came a day after Abiy officially bid farewell to Getachew, who became Tigray’s president in 2023, about five months after the peace deal was signed by the TPLF and the Ethiopian federal government in the South African capital Pretoria.
It also followed months of tensions between two rival factions of the TPLF led by party chairman Debretsion Gebremichael and Getachew during which some officials threatened to oust Getachew.
So, who is General Tadesse?
He is a prominent military figure who has served as the commander-in-chief of the Tigray Defence Forces (TDF) and has had a significant career both within the Horn of African nation and on the international stage.
He led the TDF during the 2020-2022 Tigray war against the federal army and its allies.
He has also had a distinguished career with the United Nations, serving, among in other positions, as the head of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) from 2011 to 2013.
Abyei is an oil-rich region contested by Sudan and South Sudan.
General Tadesse Worede was a member of the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) until his retirement after Abiy became prime minister in 2018.
According to Rashid Abdi, research director for the Horn of Africa at Sahan Research, Gen Tadesse is “a revered figure in Tigray. He commands extraordinary respect. He is also a unifying figure and seen as above partisan politics.
The new regional leader holds a Master of Business Administration and an additional master’s degree in security sector management.
He was born in 1958.
