A decision from the House of Federation to proceed with federal parliamentary elections in five disputed constituencies has triggered protests across the Tigray region, intensifying tensions over unresolved territorial claims with the neighboring Amhara Regional State.
On Monday, February 23, 2026 the House of Federation formally notified the National Election Board of Ethiopia of a decision to proceed with federal elections in five contested constituencies outside the jurisdiction of the Tigray Regional State, pending resolution of an ongoing territorial dispute with the Amhara Regional State.
In a letter sent to the Board, the House stated that until disagreements between the Tigray and Amhara regional governments over five electoral constituencies are resolved, elections for federal representatives in Humera, Adi-Remets, Korem-Oflah, Tselemti and Raya Alamata would be conducted separately and directly, outside the administrative authority of the Tigray Regional State.
The decision immediately drew opposition in Tigray.
From The Reporter Magazine
On February 27, demonstrations were held in several areas across the region in protest. Addressing supporters during the protests, Debretsion Gebremichael, chairman of the board proscribed Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), accused federal authorities of escalating tensions and undermining post-war arrangements.
“The decision passed by the House of Federation is aimed at preventing the people of Tigray and Amhara from being united and at causing bloodshed,” Debretsion said.
He called on “the Amhara people and elites” to understand the situation and to continue what he described as their stance to avoid war.
From The Reporter Magazine
Debretsion further alleged that the federal government had violated the Pretoria Agreement, which ended the two-year conflict that erupted in 2020, and had declared intention to resume hostilities.
He accused unnamed actors of implementing what he described as the federal government’s objectives and referred to them as “traitors,” urging them to refrain from their actions and “stand with the people.”
He also claimed that efforts were underway to drag Tigray into sustained confrontation with neighboring regions.
“We will not allow harm to be inflicted upon our people, nor will we permit the constitutional territories of the region to be dismantled,” he said, adding that the threat facing the region “cannot be averted by fleeing.”
“The youth of Tigray may flee the region, but they cannot escape the blade of prosperity,” Debretsion said, in a reference to the ruling Prosperity Party. He argued that the risk must be confronted collectively and warned that renewed conflict would not remain confined to Tigray.
“If war breaks out, it will not remain confined to the Tigray region alone,” he said, cautioning that the consequences would extend to the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region.
Tadesse Werede, president of the Tigray Interim Administration (TIA), also weighed in on the matter, questioning the legal basis of the decision.
Tadesse argued that the decisions of the House of Federation and the National Election Board are not legally grounded, calling for a political solution.
According to the Interim President, the question of the region’s territorial integrity and the return of displaced persons should not be framed as causes of war, but as consequences of the war that ended under the Pretoria Agreement. He said the failure to resolve these matters over the past three years has contributed to mounting tensions.
Tadesse urged reconsideration of what he described as ongoing efforts to initiate war against the region, stressing the need to strengthen unity to prevent renewed conflict.
Describing the current situation as “a bomb that could explode at any moment,” he warned that there would be no scenario in which one side suffers while the other remains unaffected.
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