Addis Abeba — In a letter sent from the president's office, the Tigray Interim Administration has removed four high-ranking officials from their positions. This decision came 10 days after the interim administration removed an additional six top zonal officials from their positions.
The latest termination letter was dated 28 October, 223, but was delivered to the officials this morning. It cites Alem Gebrewahid (communication adviser to the president), Amanuel Assefa (chief cabinet secretary), Teklay Gebremedhin (administrator of the Northwestern Zone), and Liya Kassa (administrator of the Southeastern Zone) as being dismissed from their positions.
Two of the terminated officials informed Addis Standard that they learned of their resignations through social media, similar to everyone else. Despite this, the interim administration has not provided any official statement regarding the dismissal of these officials.
Amanuel, one of the dismissed leaders, told Addis Standard that he had no knowledge of the reasons behind his removal and discovered the letter on social media, just like everyone else.
Teklay also informed Addis Standard that he was on a field trip when he heard rumors about the dismissals. Upon returning home, he checked the WhatsApp group for Zonal Administrators and found four letters, one of which was addressed to him. He mentioned that no one had contacted him through a phone call or in person regarding his resignation. He emphasized that he will continue working responsibly to ensure the proper management of public resources and services until a replacement is appointed, so that services are not disrupted.
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Tension has been mounting between the interim admin and the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF) lately. On 27 October, 2023, the Tigray Interim Administration removed six high-ranking officials from their positions, citing their failure to fulfill their responsibilities as entrusted by the people and the government following their participation on the party's meeting.
Getachew Reda, the head of the Tigray Interim Administration, stated that this neglect of duties resulted in the wastage of public resources. This announcement followed letters posted on the official Facebook page of the Office of the President of Tigray, which stated that the heads of communication offices for the East, South, Central, Southeast, Northwest, and West zones had been removed.
Earlier in in September, president Getachew revealed that his government's attempts to separate government and party lines has been perceived as an "anti-TPLF" approach, posing challenges to his administration, adding that there are zones and districts that are not willing to be governed under the interim administration and as a result obstructing the administration's activities.
Despite its efforts, Addis Standard was unable to obtain a comment from the Tigray interim administration.
