Mekelle — Lt. Gen. Tadesse Werede, President of Tigray's Interim Administration, has warned that attempts to facilitate the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to Western Tigray without resolving constitutional questions and working behind the administration risk reigniting conflict.
Speaking at the opening of the Ashenda festival in Mekelle on Friday, Lt. Gen. Tadesse Werede accused "some of our brothers" of attempting to push through a unilateral return process without the involvement of the Interim Administration. He warned that such moves "are against the interests of the people of Tigray" and risk undermining the region's constitutional territory and plunging it back into war.
His remarks follow growing concerns from Tsilal Civil Society of Western Tigray, which last week cautioned that ongoing efforts to register IDPs and initiate returns should not proceed without safeguards.
In a letter dated 16 August addressed to the Interim Administration and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), the group welcomed initiatives to enable displaced communities to return but criticized the current approach for lacking transparency, oversight, and adequate consultation with displaced persons.
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"Return processes that fall short of internationally recognized standards risk undermining the rights and safety of displaced communities," the letter warned, stressing that homes, farms, and other properties currently occupied must be vacated before any organized return, and calling for reforms to local administrative and security structures to guarantee impartiality.
Merih Welay (PhD), Chairman of Tsilal's executive committee, told Addis Standard that the organization's concerns stem from reports gathered from displaced communities, civil society groups, and local actors monitoring the process.
He pointed to failed return attempts in northwest and southern Tigray, where many displaced people were forced back into camps or left in dire conditions. "Return should not be rushed at the expense of safety, dignity, and rights," he cautioned, warning that a premature process risks renewed displacement and instability.
Tsilal's appeal echoes concerns raised earlier by TPLF chairman Debretsion Gebremichael, who on 8 August warned that facilitating returns without addressing root causes--including the withdrawal of occupying forces, accountability for atrocities, and dismantling of the current administration in Western Tigray--risked creating a "dangerous situation."
Responding to Lt. Gen. Tadesse's speech, Getachew Reda, PM Abiy Ahmed's advisor on East African Affairs and former interim president, said, "The one leading the impediment of the return of IDPs was Tadese himself [during Getachew's presidency]. Whether Tadesse likes it or not, our people will return to their homes and security assured." adding, "Also, as long as gold smuggling, land sales, and the trafficking of Eritreans and Tigrayans remain, the return of the IDPs will not be prioritized because the commanders don't benefit from it."
The return of IDPs has emerged as a central concern in post-war Tigray. In June, hundreds demonstrated outside the Interim President's Office in Mekelle, denouncing delays and demanding immediate repatriation. Protesters marched under the slogan, "We are dying here; we will die if we go. It is better for us to die in our land."
In the same month, IDPs in Tigray staged a peaceful demonstration in Mekelle on Wednesday, 18 June 2025, demanding urgent repatriation and warning against being forced to endure yet another rainy season in tents. Marching under the slogan "Let's not spend the fifth rainy season in tents," protesters expressed frustration at prolonged displacement, carrying banners that read "We will not live a fifth rainy season in tent shelters" and "Signatories and implementers of the Pretoria Peace Agreement, return us to our homes peacefully."
Despite the repeated calls, no progress has been reported. Merih said UNOCHA's office in Mekelle told Tsilal that no registration attempt had been initiated by the agency itself and said concerns were forwarded to the Addis Ababa office for a detailed response.
In response to the Addis Standard question of whether the UNOCHA is aware and taking part in the process, the UNOCHA said, "OCHA is not aware of any registration processes currently underway for the return of internally displaced persons in Western Tigray." Adding, "The UN and humanitarian partners continue to assist displaced people across Ethiopia at the invitation of the government, guided by the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence."
Furthermore, OCHA clarified its role in IDP returning operations, saying, "The organization of IDP returns is led exclusively by the government; however, globally agreed principles require that such returns be voluntary, safe, dignified, and well-informed." "While OCHA does not have an operational or implementation role, its mandate is to mobilize and coordinate principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors while advocating for the rights of people in need." OCHA added.
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The return of thousands of Tigrayan IDPs who have been ethnically cleansed from Western Tigray during the two-year devastating war in the Tigray region and the constitutional restoration of the area under the Tigray regional state remain the consequential failures of the Pretoria Peace Agreement to date.
In early July 2024, the first group of 456 IDPs returned to their villages in the Tselemti district, located in the North Western Zone of the Tigray region, followed soon by an additional 2,200 IDPs who arrived days later.
In the third phase, nearly 5,000 IDPs returned to Northwestern Tigray, resettling in May Tsebir town and three other locations within the Tselemti district.
However, the process has since been halted as returnees to Tselemti describe a harrowing reality: homes reduced to rubble, livelihoods destroyed, and a pervasive insecurity inflicted by government-allied forces from the neighboring Amhara region that were installed in the areas during the two-year war in the Tigray region, and remains in place to this day.
