Tigray Peace Force: The Birth of a New Tigrayan Mindset

What many perceive as a power struggle between the Tigray Defense Force (TDF) and the Tigray Peace Force (TPF) is, in truth, a clash between two mindsets: the status quo and reform. Tigray doesn’t need another force — it needs a new consciousness.

Misreading the Moment

Concerns are growing that the TPF and TDF might descend into conflict. In his incisive essay  Time for a New Leadership,  Mulugeta Gebrehiwet (Chaltu) condemned both factions of the TPLF and urged the commanders of TDF and TPF to meet and pledge never to fight one another. Abraha Desta — a long-standing symbol of dissent — called on his followers to remain neutral, referring to both sides as “our brothers.” Others accuse each group of serving foreign interests, allegedly aligned with the Federal Government or Eritrea.

There’s a grain of truth in each of these perspectives — but all miss the essence of the conflict. What’s often mistaken for a power struggle is, in fact, a confrontation between a force defending the status quo and a movement pushing for reform. Understanding this distinction is critical.

Setting the Record Straight

First, let’s clarify the name. TPF does not stand for Tigray Prosperity Force or Tigray People’s Force, as some have claimed. It stands for Tigray Peace Force.

To date, TPF has no formal manifesto or declared political objective. It is not a conventional military force, nor should it be seen as a replacement for the TDF. Rather, it emerged as a resistance to the status quo — a response to the military leadership’s implicit support for the faction that organized the controversial conference rejected by Ethiopia’s electoral board.

In contrast, the TDF is the military wing of the former TPLF — a party that has publicly admitted its strategic failures. What remains of the TPLF is a cluster of warlords with no political capital, legitimacy, or diplomatic weight. Whether they appeal to Guterres through Debretsion or to God Himself,  only few take them seriously. They failed Tigray. They failed the Horn. They failed the continent.

From Power Struggle to Reform

Negotiation only works when there is mutual recognition. During the war, many advocated for dialogue between the Prosperity Party (PP) and the TPLF — both driven by a shared pursuit of power. Thanks to Team Getachew, and through painful concessions, the Pretoria Agreement was signed. But because the deal was tactical rather than genuine, trust quickly eroded.

Three years later, war rhetoric is once again on the rise. The Prime Minister used Parliament to accuse the TPLF leadership of holding internally displaced people (IDPs) hostage. TDF generals declared they are more prepared than ever. General Haileselasie, a senior TPLF official, stated on July 12, 2025, that former adversaries like Eritrea might now be allies—or at least pose no threat to Tigray—signaling a shift in relations. Meanwhile, the TDF aligned with Debretsion’s faction of the TPLF is alleged to operate as a proxy for Eritrea, while the rival Tigray Peace Force (TPF) is seen as linked to Abiy Ahmed’s administration. Nonetheless, the mutual agreement to avoid hostility has clearly been breached.

Then came Getachew-led TIRA, ushering in a new Tigrayan mindset — one that dared to separate party from state. The creation of an Advisory Council was a symbolic yet significant shift. The TPLF establishment saw the writing on the wall: they were losing control of the political economy. The TPF emerged as the vanguard of reform.

After Getachew Reda’s faction began advocating democratic reforms and state–party separation, the Debretsion-led TPLF accused them of treason—framing cooperation with the federal government as a betrayal of Tigray’s struggle. When military commanders dismantled a relatively independent administration, the Tigray Peace Force stood firm in defense of reform, resisting efforts to restore entrenched dominance.

People often ask, “Why would two brothers fight each other?” But didn’t the same group massacre youth when they ousted the southern administration by force? Few spoke out then. What makes them more “brotherly” now than when they chased Getachew and Tsadikan? Let’s not fall for the TPLF’s narrative.

Two Forces, Two Worldviews

The TDF, led by military commanders, came to power through a coup. The TPF, however, is not fighting for power — it is fighting against it. Every day, TDF members defect to join the TPF, rejecting a regime they view as tyrannical. This is not another PP–TPLF scenario.

The TPF does not seek power; it embodies resistance. It represents a mindset that rejects the perception of the Tadesse-led TIRA being aligned—directly or indirectly—with Shaebia through TPLF’s Generals declared cooperation. While Tadesse may not have initiated this alliance, his inability to prevent it or publicly disassociate from it reinforces that perception. War, after all, is politics by other means. Neither war between TPF and TDF nor negotiation appears likely. Resistance, by nature, is transitional. It leads to reform. The TPF serves as a deterrent against the Tsimdo alliance — a futile partnership that could cost Tigray dearly. PP and TPLF may go to war again, coexist peacefully, or renegotiate long before TDF and TPF ever reconcile. That’s because TDF and TPF are not merely two forces — they are two fundamentally different worldviews.

Reform and the status quo cannot share the same table. One must eventually step aside. And let us not forget: the TPLF has never been known for negotiation. One of the most cited incidents occurred in 1976, during a supposed reconciliation meeting between the TPLF and the TLF. According to Tigray Media Watch, TPLF operatives massacred sleeping TLF members in a brutal betrayal of their fellow Tigrayan fighters. With all the current characterizations, the TPF could face the same fate.

A New Consciousness

The TPF is not an alternative army — it is a resistance to the old order. It challenges the monopoly of a failed elite and dares to imagine a Tigray where party and state finally part ways. That’s not rebellion; it’s renewal.

And every reform begins with resistance.