TPLF picks Getachew Reda to lead Tigray interim administration

MEKELLE, Ethiopia - The spokesman of Tigray People's Liberation Front [TPLF] Getachew Reda has been picked by Central Committee to lead an interim administration, multiple sources have confirmed, in yet another tremendous step geared towards implementation of the peace accord signed in Pretoria and Nairobi last year.

This week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Ethiopia where he lauded the country for progress made in implementing the peace deal which brought peace and stability to Tigray state. Both parties [TPLF and federal government] have worked hard to adhere to their obligations.

Sources told Addis Standard that Reda, a senior member of the party's Executive Committee was picked by 18 members of the 41 Central Committee team to lead the state. Once confirmed, he will be the defacto transitional leader of the state as TPLF negotiates with Addis Ababa.

According to the accord signed in Pretoria and Nairobi, the regional administration which was elected in September 2020 would pave way for the Interim Regional Administration [IRA] as part of an agreement for the cessation of hostilities in Tigray. The African Union brokered the deal.

A veteran of the TPLF, Debretsion Gebremichael, the current leader of the Tigray region, was elected to the region’s presidency after receiving overwhelming support from the regional parliament after the regional council election, which was rejected by the federal government as unlawful.

However, sources further said Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had refused to accept the choice of Debretsion to continue working with IRA, forcing the Central Committee to pick Getachew Reda, who was part of the team that represented TPLF in signing the peace deal in South Africa and Kenya last year.

But whether he will get the green light from the federal government is yet to be seen. A former professor of Law at Mekelle University, Getachew Reda was one of the senior officials of the EPRDF government and had served, among others, as communication minister of the federal government.

The establishment of the IRA would expedite the conclusion of the discussions geared toward sustaining peace and tranquility in the Tigray region. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has insisted on the need for states to cooperate with the federal government for the sake of peace and development in Ethiopia.

GAROWE ONLINE