Tigray rebels urged to disarm as commander vows to fight Ethiopia’s gov’t

Government-allied forces seized Mekelle in early October after pushing Tigray People’s Liberation Front fighters out of the capital. Ethiopia then installed a six-month caretaker administration. The administration says disarmament is necessary to end resistance, prevent further violence and begin restoring normal life in Tigray.

Redae Halefom Woldeselassie, a senior caretaker official, said rebel forces were collapsing. He urged fighters to return home instead of trying to retake Mekelle. Yet Lieutenant General Fisseha Kidanu told fighters to continue resisting and attack government-held positions. Residents also reported a drone strike that killed four people and injured six while they loaded goats onto a truck, though the casualties were not independently verified.

The city is therefore under government-allied control, but the conflict is not fully over. The administration promises security operations, restored services and preparations for displaced people to return. Continued fighting could delay those plans and deepen civilian suffering.

The Tigray People’s Liberation Front, or TPLF, is the organization leading the Tigrayan rebel side in this account. The article describes its fighters as a force that controlled Mekelle before withdrawing when government-allied troops entered the capital. It also refers to the TPLF’s armed wing as part of Tigrayan forces.

The article does not provide the TPLF’s full history or explain exactly how its armed wing was formed. It does show why that wing matters now: Lieutenant General Fisseha Kidanu, identified as commander of the Tigray army, called on militias and volunteers to continue resisting. Former members of the TPLF’s armed wing also make up the Tigray Peace Force, which supports the government.

This split makes the conflict especially difficult. Tigrayan fighters are divided between resistance forces and former comrades aligned with Ethiopia’s federal government. The article reports claims of heavy losses on both sides, but they were not independently verified.

The Tigray war lasted from 2020 to 2022 and caused an estimated 500,000 civilian deaths. Researchers at Ghent University in Belgium counted deaths from direct violence, famine and the collapse of health services. The figure captures both battlefield killing and the wider damage caused when war disrupts food, medicine and medical care.

The conflict was not deadly only because fighters attacked one another. Civilians also suffered when essential systems stopped working. The article links the death toll to hunger and failed health services, showing how a war can spread harm far beyond front lines. Displacement and interrupted public services remain concerns in the current crisis.

The November 2022 Pretoria peace agreement ended that war, but renewed fighting has effectively shattered the agreement. Government forces and Tigrayan resistance forces are again confronting each other. If fighting continues, the earlier pattern of violence, famine and service collapse could threaten civilians, while recovery and return plans remain uncertain.

The main opposing sides are Tigrayan resistance forces, including TPLF-linked fighters, and Ethiopia’s federal troops. The federal side is supported by allied forces operating in Tigray. The article also identifies local militias and volunteers as participants expected to join the resistance against government-held positions.

One especially important allied group is the Tigray Peace Force. It consists of former members of the TPLF’s armed wing, creating a split within Tigrayan forces. Redae Halefom Woldeselassie said Ethiopian troops and allied forces were conducting joint security operations in Mekelle, including efforts to prevent looting. Lieutenant General Fisseha Kidanu urged militias and volunteers to keep fighting.

The balance favors the government side in some areas because Fisseha acknowledged its advantages in drones and heavy weapons. The TPLF has claimed heavy government losses, but the Associated Press could not independently verify those claims. The divided forces make a stable settlement harder to secure.

The Pretoria peace agreement, signed in November 2022, ended the region’s devastating 2020–2022 war. In the article’s account, disarmament was a central requirement for the TPLF. The agreement was meant to move the conflict away from armed confrontation, although the article does not list every provision or implementation timetable.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed accused the TPLF of forcibly recruiting young people to fight instead of disarming under the agreement’s terms. Separately, Lieutenant General Fisseha Kidanu called on local militias and volunteers to engage government-held positions. These developments show how the agreement’s central mechanism—ending armed resistance through disarmament—has broken down.

The article says renewed fighting has effectively shattered the agreement. Government-allied forces now control Mekelle, while resistance continues elsewhere. The caretaker administration is calling for fighters to lay down their weapons, but the rebel commander’s pledge to keep fighting points in the opposite direction. That leaves peace, civilian returns and service restoration uncertain.

A change in control does not automatically make civilian life safe. New authorities must secure streets, stop looting, restore services and help displaced people return. Meanwhile, residents may remain exposed to strikes and fighting. The article shows this gap clearly: government-allied forces took Mekelle, but violence continued afterward.

Residents reported a drone strike that killed four people and injured six as they loaded goats onto a truck. The casualties could not be independently verified. The caretaker administration also promised to restore services and help displaced residents return, while saying joint security operations were being conducted to prevent looting. No timetable was given.

The wider danger is demonstrated by the previous war. Researchers estimated 500,000 civilian deaths from violence, famine and collapsed health services. Continued fighting can therefore bring direct deaths, hunger, displacement and damaged medical care. It can also delay the restoration of public services and make safe civilian returns impossible.

In a federal system, regional governments exercise political authority within their territories and may maintain institutions responsible for local security. Ethiopia’s arrangement therefore gives a region meaningful power, while the federal government remains responsible for the country as a whole. The source article does not explain these constitutional details, so this broader description uses established knowledge about federal government.

A struggle becomes national when a regional authority resists the federal government’s decisions or threatens its control over territory. In Tigray, government-allied forces entered Mekelle to crush a rebel attempt to overthrow Ethiopia’s government. The federal government then installed a six-month caretaker administration, while Tigrayan forces continued resistance.

This makes one region’s conflict larger than a local dispute. Federal troops, allied forces, regional militias and former TPLF fighters are involved. Control of Tigray affects national authority, security and peace commitments. Continued resistance could keep Ethiopia’s government tied to military operations and undermine the Pretoria agreement.