Addis Ababa (AFP) - The Tigray People's Liberation Front, which was once the ruling party in Ethiopia, is facing angry reactions from its former supporters in the northern region, as its latest attacks against federal forces falter.

Published on: 02/11/2026 - 12:11

Tsegaye Girmaye made the decision to join the ranks of the pro-autonomy Tigray People's Liberation Front in 2020, driven by anger at "atrocities committed" by Eritrean and Ethiopian federal forces as they sought to crush the movement in the bloody Tigray war.

Nearly six years later, the 32-year-old, like a number of Tigray residents interviewed by AFP, feels relieved that the movement is "on the verge of disappearing."

In late September, the Tigray People's Liberation Front joined other armed groups in an attack aimed at "overthrowing" Ethiopia's federal leaders, but it was quickly repelled by pro-government forces using drones.

After being forced out of the main cities of Tigray, the Front retreated to the hills of the region, where it periodically launched attacks on federal forces.

In October, the federal authorities officially extended control over the Tigray region after seizing it from the rebels, and established a transitional administration for a period of six months, pledging to organize elections.

"I don't think the Tigray People's Liberation Front has the slightest chance of returning to power. The reality on the ground shows that," said Girmay, who lives in the northern Tigray city of Adigrat.

Eritrea's role

After Eritrea went to war alongside Ethiopia against the Tigray People's Liberation Front during the 2020-2022 war, relations between the two neighbors deteriorated.

In October, Asmara sent thousands of soldiers to Tigray in support of the front, before it was forced to withdraw them due to strikes carried out by the Ethiopian federal army using drones.

For many in Tigray, the recent alliance between the Tigray People's Liberation Front and Eritrea has brought back painful memories of the atrocities committed by Asmara's forces during the previous war.

Ginette Hailu, a resident of the regional capital, Mekelle, said that the Tigray People's Liberation Front's cooperation with Eritrean forces was a "mistake."

"They committed massacres and acts of sexual violence against the people of Tigray," she added.

She added that the Tigray People's Liberation Front has lost support both within the region and among Tigrayans residing abroad.

“The party has moved away from the people,” she said.

Hailu condemned the forced recruitment operations carried out by the Tigray People's Liberation Front, which were documented by media outlets, including Agence France-Presse, as well as Human Rights Watch.

It stated, "The party committed violations against the same people who supported it, and forced children to join the army."

She added, "As a mother from Tigray, I cried and hit the ground in anger and cursed the Tigray People's Liberation Front, praying that it would never return to power."

For his part, the party's vice president, Emmanuel Assefa, rejected these criticisms.

In response to questions from Agence France-Presse, he said: “How can we explain people blaming a party that sacrifices itself for them?”

Front errors

The Tigray People's Liberation Front was widely respected in the region, after it led the rebellion that overthrew the Marxist Derg military regime in Ethiopia in 1991.

The party then ruled the country until 2018, although the Tigray minority constitutes only about six percent of Ethiopia's population.

The party was banned in 2025, several years after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power.

Natnael Gebregziabhere, 35, a former supporter of the party, said he believed in the Tigray People's Liberation Front, but "the mistakes of its leaders put people in grave danger."

"You have become a burden on the people of Tigray," he added.

However, others still support the party despite their opposition to its alliance with Eritrea.

Gebremichael Abebe (52 years old), a resident of the city of Axum in Tigray, said he fears that "the current federal government wants to destroy us."

"I believe that the Tigray People's Liberation Front will emerge victorious and return to power," he added.

As for Keitel Tronvoll, a specialist in Horn of Africa affairs at Oslo New University College, he saw that “the party’s future depends on several factors, especially its ability to review itself and how the federal government behaves in Tigray.”

He considered that "it is too early to declare the death of the Tigray People's Liberation Front."

© 2026 AFP

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