The Tigray People’s Liberation Front reconstituted its dissolved pre-war regional council and elected chairman Debretsion Gebremichael as regional president, Tigray TV reported.

The council, dissolved under the 2022 Pretoria Agreement between the federal government and the TPLF, has resumed work after nearly three and a half years, citing alleged violations of the deal by the central government.

This comes amid reports of shifting alliances involving Tigrayan leaders and Eritrea. Old-guard figures in Tigray, including Debretsion Gebremichael, are said to be building ties with Eritrea and Sudan amid their standoff with the federal government.

At its so-called sixth regular session on Tuesday, May 5, the council elected Kiros Hagos as speaker and Mihret Berkene as deputy speaker.
The TPLF’s decision comes nearly two weeks after the federal government extended the mandate of interim Tigray President Lt. Gen. Tadesse Worede, who heads the administration formed under the Pretoria Agreement.

Set up in 2023 under the peace deal, the interim authority has recently clashed with the TPLF, with Tadesse Worede repeatedly pushing back against the return of the former council, warning it would only deepen the region’s problems.

A day before today’s meeting, Tadesse Worede warned that the TPLF’s actions could spark renewed conflict.

Debretsion Gebremichael, a senior figure in the TPLF had served as president of the Tigray regional state before the 2020–2022 war.