Mekelle/Tel Aviv/Nairobi/Pretoria/London
Senior TPLF general’s speech urging new offensive circulates online amid rising tensions
A video circulating widely on Ethiopian social media platforms appears to show a senior military figure linked to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) calling for renewed attacks against the federal government’s defence forces.
In the clip, the man described by online users as a senior TPLF general tells assembled troops that their “training phase is over” and that it is time to move into action. “We have prepared; the plan we set is now ready, and we will put it into practice,” he says in Amharic. “Until now, our army has been in training and preparation. But now the time has come to act. Therefore, we will soon attack; we will strike both those who like it and those who don’t.”
The footage has gone viral across multiple social networks, drawing strong reactions from Ethiopians both inside the country and abroad. While supporters of the TPLF have shared the video as a rallying message, critics say it risks fuelling further instability in a nation still recovering from years of conflict in the north. Several social media accounts claim the man’s family has relocated to Canada.
Conflict between the TPLF and federal forces first erupted in late 2020, displacing millions and prompting widespread humanitarian concern. A peace deal signed in 2022 helped ease hostilities, but mistrust between regional and federal actors remains deep. Analysts warn that inflammatory rhetoric online could threaten the fragile calm that has held since the formal cessation of hostilities.
