Tigray Peace Force
TPF emerged after political fragmentation within Tigray following the signing of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA) in Pretoria in November 2022. During this period, a pronounced power struggle developed between two main factions within the TPLF:
- The Reform Faction: Associated with the former president of the Interim Regional Administration of Tigray (IRAT), Getachew Reda, who advocated democratic reforms, closer engagement with the Federal Government, and a separation between the party and the state.
- The Old Guard: Associated with TPLF Chairman Debretsion Gebremichael and senior military commanders, who sought to preserve the TPLF's established political influence and authority.
Ideological stance and conflict
TPF primarily operates as an ideological resistance movement that challenges the political dominance of the pre-war elite, rather than seeking to replace the TDF as a conventional military force.
Military and political clashes
The rivalry has periodically turned into armed clashes, particularly in southern Tigray near the border with the Afar Region, where the TPF is reported to have organized.
- Violent Engagements: Fighting between the TDF and TPF was reported from July 2025 in areas including Alasa in the Wajra zone. According to reports, the TDF used heavy weapons, including mortars and machine guns, against TPF fighters who entered Tigray from Afar.
- Accusations of Incursion: In a November 2025 letter to the international community, TPLF Chairman Debretsion Gebremichael claimed that TPF fighters had carried out incursions into southern Tigray, allegedly at the same time as a visit by the IRA president. The TPLF also accused the Federal Government of supporting the group and of carrying out drone strikes against targets in Tigray.
- Political Response: As tensions increased, figures such as Mulugeta Gebrehiwet (Chaltu) called on the commanders of both TDF and TPF to commit themselves to avoiding further conflict, warning that continued fighting could lead to a damaging internal war.
In December 2025, The Africa Report described TPF as a rebel group formed by former TDF members and mid-level TPLF commanders who were dissatisfied with the political settlement reached after the Pretoria Agreement, operating along the Tigray–Afar borderlands and carrying out armed operations that contributed to renewed insecurity in Afar and southern Tigray.
Tigray Defense Forces