Tigray Defense Forces

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Tigray Defense Forces
ሓይልታት ምክልኻል ትግራይ
ሰራዊት ትግራይ
Motto ዘይንድይቦ ጎቦ
There are no mountains we would not climb[ citation needed ]
Founded4 November 2020;3 years ago (2020-11-04) [1] [2] [3]
Headquarters Mekelle, Tigray Region
Leadership
President Debretsion Gebremichael
Commander-in-chief Lieutenant Gen Tadesse Werede Tesfay
Member of central commandLieutenant General Tsadkan Gebretensae
SpokespersonColonel Gebre Gebretsadik
Personnel
Active personnel<10,000 [4] [5] –250,000 [6] (est. Nov. 2020)
Related articles
History Tigray War

The Tigray Defense Forces (TDF; Tigrinya : ሓይልታት ምክልኻል ትግራይ), colloquially called the Tigray Army (ሰራዊት ትግራይ), is a paramilitary group located in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. It was founded by former generals of the Ethiopian Military in 2020 to combat federal forces enforcing national government mandates in the Tigray region, culminating in 2020 with the outbreak of the Tigray War. [7] The TDF has made use of guerilla tactics and strategies. [8] [9] Human rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have reported that the TDF has committed war crimes against civilians including gang rape and extrajudicial killing during their occupation of both the Afar and Amhara regions. [10] [11] According to the Ethiopian Ministry of Justice, TDF combatants have been found liable for upwards of 540 civilians casualties. as of 28 December 2021[ needs update ]. [12]

Contents

Territory controlled by the Tigray Defense Forces (dark green), inside of the Tigray Region (light green), as of 13 October 2022 Location of Tigray Defense Forces.png
Territory controlled by the Tigray Defense Forces (dark green), inside of the Tigray Region (light green), as of 13 October 2022

Overview

The Tigray Defense Forces consist of former members of the gendarmerie Regional Special Forces in the Tigray Region, ENDF defectors, [6] [13] local militia, members of Tigrayan regional political parties including the TPLF, National Congress of Great Tigray, Salsay Weyane Tigray, Tigray Independence Party and others, [14] as well as numerous youth who fled to the mountains[ clarification needed ]. [15] [16] [17] [18]

The Tigrayan leadership, though driven from power in Mekelle, the region's capital, has rallied under the banner of the Tigray Defence Forces, an armed resistance group. It is led by the removed Tigrayan leaders and commanded by former high-ranking Ethiopian National Defence Force officers.
— International Crisis Group,Ethiopia's Tigray War: A Deadly, Dangerous Stalemate, [17]

Internally, analysts believe that the relative influence of the TPLF has been weakened to the benefit of newer elements within the TDF. [17] [18]

Leadership

Many TDF officers and non-commissioned officers defected from the ENDF in the lead up to and during the Tigray War. [9] In a Zoom meeting with Tigray diaspora activists[ who? ] in June 2021, President of the Tigray region, Debretsion Gebremichael, stated that the TDF is led by a central command which coordinates their military actions.[ citation needed ]

Lieutenant General Tsadkan Gebretensae, who was the chief of staff of Ethiopian National Defense Forces until 2001, became the TDF commander in chief and remained in that post until March 2021, [17] [19] when he became a member of the Central Command. [4] [20]

Lieutenant General Tadesse Werede Tesfay is part of the command [17] [9] and Commander-in-Chief of the TDF since March 2021.

Brigadier General Migbey Haile is Commander of the Army.[ citation needed ]

Brigadier General Abraha Tesfay is Commander of Army. [21]

Transition from regular to guerrilla force

"Before the outbreak of hostilities, the Tigray regional forces (forerunner of the TDF) functioned as a more traditional military force that was well-supplied and trained in the use of heavy weapons. However, the Ethiopian Army and the Ethiopian Air Force successfully targeted the TDF's heavy equipment during the first weeks of the war. However, much of this equipment was abandoned by the TDF before it was targeted. The TPLF leadership knew that such equipment would be useless for the kind of war that they would have to wage." [22]

Recruitment and strategy

According to the Jamestown Foundation; "Young men and women—many of whom fear being raped or murdered—are fleeing to areas under the nominal control of the TDF. The TDF is also accused of carrying out attacks on Amhara civilians." [9]

Members of Tigrayan civil society have also joined the TDF, including Professor Kindeya Gebrehiwot, previous president of Mekelle University; Desta Gebremedhin, previous journalist of BBC World, numerous popular musicians[ who? ], and Professor Mulugeta Gebrehiwot, a peace researcher. [18]

The TDF has been accused of forced recruitment, including the usage of child soldiers. According to Tigrayan administrative officials, each household in Tigray was required to enlist one member in the TDF, and those who refused detained and jailed, including the parents of children who refused enlistment. [23] [24] As well as forced recruitment and enlistment quotas, the Jamestown Foundation has said, "The Ethiopian government's scorched earth strategy in Tigray has all but ensured the alienation of most Tigrayans. It has also ensured that the TDF will have no shortage of committed fighters and sympathetic supporters within Tigray." and that, "After the ENDF and soldiers from the Eritrean Army took over Tigray’s major towns, TDF forces retreated to strongholds in the mountainous central interior of the region. There, the TDF consolidated forces and re-organized for a transition to guerrilla-style combat... Following what was a strategic retreat to the rugged interior, TDF forces re-organized into small, highly-mobile, lightly armed, detachments of ten to eighty fighters. These detachments were then further divided into mission-specific units." [9]

War crimes

The TDF have been implicated in numerous war crimes in Afar and Amhara Regions to include the extrajudicial killings of civilians, indiscriminate shelling and shooting, rape as a weapon of war, use of civilians as human shields, and widespread looting and destruction of civilian infrastructure and private property. [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [ excessive citations ]

Multiple international news organizations[ which? ] reported that the TDF has razed a village near Kobbo, North Wollo[ where? ] These reports show satellite imagery of the village before and after being burned. [32]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tigray People's Liberation Front</span> Left-wing nationalist political party in Ethiopia

The Tigray People's Liberation Front, also known as the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front, is a left-wing ethnic nationalist, paramilitary group, and the former ruling party of Ethiopia. It was classified as a terrorist organization by the Ethiopian government during the Tigray War until its removal from the list in 2023. In older and less formal texts and speech it is known as Woyane or Weyané.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tigray war</span> Armed conflict in Ethiopia from 2020 to 2022

The Tigray war was an armed conflict that lasted from 3 November 2020 to 3 November 2022. It was a civil war that was primarily fought in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia between forces allied to the Ethiopian federal government and Eritrea on one side, and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) on the other.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mai Kadra massacre</span> 2020 ethnic cleansing in the Tigray War of Ethiopia

The Mai Kadra massacre was a massacre and ethnic cleansing carried out during the Tigray War on 9–10 November 2020 in the town of Mai Kadra in Welkait in northwestern Ethiopia, near the Sudanese border. Responsibility was attributed to a pro-TPLF youth group and forces loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) in the EHRC-OHCHR Tigray Investigation, preliminary investigations by Amnesty International, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO), and interviews conducted in Mai Kadra by Agence France-Presse. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and EHRC reported that at least 5 Tigrayans were killed in Mai Kadra by Amhara militas such as Fano in retaliation. Tigrayan refugees in Sudan told multiple news outlets that Tigrayans in Mai Kadra were targeted by either Amhara militias, the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF), or both.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fano (militia)</span> Amhara youth militia in Ethiopia

Fano is an ethno-nationalist Amhara militia and former protest movement. It has engaged in violent clashes throughout Ethiopia in the name of neutralizing perceived threats to the Amhara people. Fano has absorbed many units and personnel of the Amhara Regional Special Forces that did not integrate into the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF). Fano militias have been involved in armed conflicts with the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), and the ENDF. They have also clashed with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) on the border of Ethiopia and Sudan.

On 3–4 November 2020, forces loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) launched attacks on the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) Northern Command headquarters in Mekelle and bases in Adigrat, Agula, Dansha, and Sero in the Tigray Region, marking the beginning of the Tigray War. The Ethiopian federal government stated that these attacks justified the ENDF's military action against the TPLF, which, at the time the attacks occurred, held control over the Tigray Region. The TPLF described the action as "a pre-emptive strike."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sexual violence in the Tigray war</span>

Sexual violence in the Tigray War included, according to the United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, people forced to rape family members, "sex in exchange for basic commodities", and "increases in the demand for emergency contraception and testing for sexually transmitted infections".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casualties of the Tigray war</span> Breakdown of Tigray War casualties

Casualties of the Tigray War refers to the civilian and military deaths and injuries in the Tigray War that started in November 2020, in which rape and other sexual violence are also widespread. Precise casualty figures are uncertain. According to researchers at Ghent University in Belgium, as many as 600,000 people had died as a result of war-related violence and famine by late 2022. The scale of the death and destruction led The New York Times to describe it in November 2022 as "one of the world’s bloodiest contemporary conflicts."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War crimes in the Tigray war</span>

All sides of the Tigray war have been repeatedly accused of committing war crimes since it began in November 2020. In particular, the Ethiopian federal government, the State of Eritrea, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and Amhara Special Forces (ASF) have been the subject of numerous reports of both war crimes and crimes against humanity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tigrayan peace process</span> Process of ending the Tigray War

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tsadkan Gebretensae</span> Ethiopian military officer

Tsadkan Gebretensae is an Ethiopian former military officer. He is a Lieutenant general and member of the central command of the Tigray Defense Forces. In 1976 Tsadkan joined Tigray People's Liberation Front, becoming one of its main commanders in the Ethiopian Civil War. Following the war, he became chief of staff of the Ethiopian National Defense Force, rebuilding the force and leading it in the Eritrean-Ethiopian War. After the start of the Tigray War in 2020, he rejoined the Tigray's military leadership. Tsadkan is widely regarded as one of Africa's best military thinkers and strategists.

The Chenna massacre was a mass extrajudicial killing perpetrated by the Tigray Defense Forces (TDF) in and around the village of Chenna Teklehaymanot in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia during the Tigray War, between 31 August and 4 September 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TDF–OLA joint offensive</span> 2021 military campaign into Ethiopia as part of the Tigray War

The TDF–OLA joint offensive was a rebel offensive in the Tigray War and the OLA insurgency starting in late October 2021 launched by a joint rebel coalition of the Tigray Defense Forces (TDF) and Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) against the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) and government. The TDF and OLA took control of several towns south of the Amhara Region in the direction of the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa in late October and early November. Claims of war crimes included that of the TDF extrajudicially executing 100 youths in Kombolcha, according to deral authorities.

This Timeline of the Tigray War is part of a chronology of the military engagements of the Tigray War, a civil war that began in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia in early November 2020.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dedebit Elementary School airstrike</span> 2022 airstrike in the Tigray Region, Ethiopia

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The Kobo massacre was an extrajudicial killing event perpetrated in Kobo district and Kobo town in North Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region of Ethiopia during the Tigray War, on 9 September 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ENDF National Unity Offensive</span> 2021 offensive as part of the Tigray War in Ethiopia

The ENDF National Unity Offensive was a military offensive in the Tigray War launched by the Ethiopian military (ENDF) and pro-government forces to recapture territory in the Amhara and Afar regions being occupied by the Tigray Defense Forces (TDF). Gendarmerie regional forces and local militias from Afar and Amhara had mobilized thousands of fighters and joined the offensive. The ENDF and its allies were able to push TDF forces back from Debre Sina, Amhara to Alamata, Tigray (≈400 km). The Ethiopian government announced the campaign for national unity was a success and had been completed on 23 December 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Persecution of Amhara people</span>

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The Kombolcha massacre was the mass extrajudicial and summary execution of over 100 ethnic Amhara civilian youths by the Tigray Defense Forces in South Wollo, in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Bodies of the victims were set on fire at a business compound in the town. Kombolcha was described as a key warring location and is found on the A2 highway leading into Addis Ababa, where the Tigrayan forces were advancing to the capital. Looting of aid, and private and public properties was also reported. Kombolcha town is the industrial hub of the Amhara region.

References

  1. ↑ "Tigray Communication Affairs Bureau Press Release on Facebook, Central Command Spokesperson Getachew Reda". Facebook . 14 November 2020.[ self-published source ]
  2. ↑ "Tigray Communication Affairs Bureau Press Release on Facebook, Tigray Defense Forces spokesperson Gebre Gebretsadkan". Facebook . 19 November 2020.[ self-published source ]
  3. ↑ "Central Command Spokesperson Getachew Reda Interview With Dimtsi Weyane Television". YouTube . 14 November 2020.
  4. 1 2 Tghat, 7 June 2021, General Tsadekan Gebretensae Exclusive Interview With Dimtsi Weyane Tigray, Broadcast on May 29, 2021
  5. ↑ Dimtsi Weyane, 18 June 2021, ምስ ኣዛዚ ሰራዊት ትግራይ ተጋዳላይ ታደሰ ወረደ (ወዲ ወረደ) ዝተገበረ ቃለ መሕትት [ self-published source ]
  6. 1 2 Fick, Maggie (10 November 2020). "Battle-hardy Tigray back in spotlight as Ethiopia conflict flares". Reuters. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  7. ↑ "Ethiopia is fighting 'difficult and tiresome' guerrilla war in Tigray, says PM". The Guardian. 4 April 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  8. ↑ Plaut, Martin (8 January 2021). "Eritrea in the Tigray war: What we know and why it might backfire". African Arguments. The Royal African Society. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "Tigray Defense Forces Resist Ethiopian Army Offensive as Sudan, Eritrea, and Ethnic Militias Enter the Fray". Jamestown. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  10. ↑ "Ethiopia: Survivors of TPLF attack in Amhara describe gang rape, looting and physical assaults". Amnesty International. 9 November 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  11. ↑ "Ethiopia: Tigray Forces Summarily Execute Civilians". Human Rights Watch. 9 December 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  12. ↑ "In Ethiopia war, new abuse charges put focus on Tigrayan former rulers". Reuters. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  13. ↑ Walsh, Declan (7 April 2021). "Why Is Ethiopia at War With Itself?". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  14. ↑ Izzo, Salvatore (19 April 2021). "Guerre civile au Tigré, la situation sur le terrain (Fulvio Beltrami) | Place St Pierre" (in Italian). Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  15. ↑ Lefort, René (27 April 2021). "Ethiopia's vicious deadlock". Ethiopia Insight. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  16. ↑ "Éthiopie: comment les forces rebelles du Tigré organisent la résistance". RFI (in French). 23 May 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 "Ethiopia's Tigray War: A Deadly, Dangerous Stalemate". Crisis Group. The International Crisis Group. 2 April 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  18. 1 2 3 de Waal, Alex; Gebrehiwot Berhe, Mulugeta (27 January 2021). "Transcript – Call between Mulugeta Gebrehiwot and Alex de Waal 27 January 2021" (PDF). World Peace Foundation . Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 January 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  19. ↑ Marks, Simon (22 January 2021). "On 'Rooftop of Africa,' Ethiopia's Troops Hunt Fugitive Former Rulers". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  20. ↑ "Gen Tsadkan Gebretensae: Ethiopia's Tigray rebel mastermind". BBC News. 1 July 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  21. ↑ Tesfaselam Informer: General Dinkul: The most famous general leading Tigraian Defence Forces speaks about the war in Tigray Archived 4 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine [ self-published source ]
  22. ↑
  23. ↑ Paravicini, Giulia; Houreld, Katharine (16 May 2022). "Some Ethiopians claim forced recruitment by Tigrayan forces". Reuters. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  24. ↑ "ህወሓት ለመዝመት ፍቃደኛ ያልሆኑ ልጆች ወላጆችን እያሰረ መሆኑ ተነገረ". BBC News አማርኛ (in Amharic). Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  25. ↑ "Ethiopia: Survivors of TPLF attack in Amhara describe gang rape, looting and physical assaults". Amnesty International. 9 November 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  26. ↑ "Tigray forces killed 120 civilians in village in Amhara - Ethiopia officials". Reuters. 9 September 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  27. ↑ "Ethiopia calls on civilians to join army to fight Tigray forces". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  28. ↑ "At scene of Ethiopia's new killings, some fight, some flee". AP NEWS. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  29. ↑ "Ethiopia: Tigray Forces Summarily Execute Civilians". Human Rights Watch. 9 December 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  30. ↑ "Afar and Amhara Regions: Report on Violations of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law in Afar and Amhara Regions of Ethiopia Published". Ethiopian Human Rights Commission - EHRC. 11 March 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  31. ↑ "Ethiopia: Tigrayan forces murder, rape and pillage in attacks on civilians in Amhara towns". Amnesty International. 16 February 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  32. ↑ Zelalem, Zecharias (17 August 2021). "'They are out for revenge': Evidence of war crimes as rebels roar out of Ethiopia's Tigray region". The Telegraph.
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