Author: Caleb Ta. (Dr.)
Affiliation: Independent Researcher in African Political Affairs; Human Rights Advocate
Abstract:
This article examines the November 2025 interview of Getachew Reda by Mehdi Hassan on Al Jazeera English’s Head-to-Head program. It highlights the journalist’s direct questioning on genocide, humanitarian blockade, and sexual violence during the Tigray conflict, while analyzing how Reda’s responses attempt to deflect responsibility from Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and contrast with his earlier rhetoric. The article argues that the interview reveals significant contradictions in Reda’s public position, undermines accountability, and delays justice for victims.
Introduction
The conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region has generated extensive concern about the possibility that actions taken by federal and allied forces may amount to genocide, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity (Congressional Research Service, 2021). In November 2025, Getachew Reda appeared on Al Jazeera English’s Head-to-Head, facing questions about his past characterization of Abiy Ahmed and the recent humanitarian crisis. The interview provides a pivotal moment in which past allegations, present political dynamics, and the struggle for accountability converge.
The Interview: Direct Confrontation
From the outset, Mehdi Hassan pressed Reda with direct and pointed questions about atrocities, responsibility, and his own public statements:
Mehdi Hassan: “You spent years calling Abiy Ahmed a war criminal. You said—I’m quoting you—Abiy Ahmed ‘perfected genocide into an art form.’ Do you stand by those genocide accusations?”
Getachew Reda: “Whatever the superlative said…I know all kinds of crimes were committed in Tigray.”
Mehdi Hassan: “Did Abiy Ahmed commit genocide?”
Getachew Reda: “As a lawyer, I cannot say who is this and that, but the crime was related to genocide.”
Mehdi Hassan: “Were you not a lawyer in 2021 when you said Abiy Ahmed carried out a genocidal campaign?”
Getachew Reda: “I was in the heat of a conflict claiming hundreds of thousands of lives. I believe genocide has been committed in Tigray by Abiy Ahmed, and I stand by that.”
Mehdi Hassan: “So you believe it was genocide but won’t say he did it?”
Getachew Reda: “Yes. There were many actors involved, but the war in Tigray was led by Abiy Ahmed himself.”
Mehdi Hassan: “So he led the genocide?”
Getachew Reda: “We don’t have to be that specific. He led the war. Crimes, including ethnic cleansing and genocide, were committed.”
Getachew Reda: “Abiy was my close friend even before he got elected.”
Mehdi Hassan: “You hated him. You called him a genocidal warmonger.”
Getachew Reda: “We were friends before the genocide. During the conflict, we were fighting each other, yes, but friendship existed outside the war.”
Mehdi Hassan: “But you accused him of being genocidal while being friends?”
(Al Jazeera English, 2025)
This exchange illustrates a clear strategy of deflection by Reda: while acknowledging that serious crimes occurred, he repeatedly avoided stating directly that Abiy Ahmed himself committed genocide, even though he accepted the term and simultaneously admitted they had been friends.
Contradictions and Political Implications
Reda’s responses reveal several key contradictions. Firstly, as spokesman for the TPLF during the early phases of the conflict, he accused the federal government of genocide, a humanitarian blockade, and war crimes (Congressional Research Service, 2021). Yet during this interview, he retreats from explicitly naming the Prime Minister as perpetrator. This shift suggests a political recalibration—potentially influenced by Reda’s current role as a federal–regional intermediary.
Secondly, admitting prior friendship with Abiy Ahmed while simultaneously accusing him of genocide introduces credibility issues. If one was close, and then publicly accused him of the gravest crime known to international law, the personal relationship complicates both the moral and political narrative.
Humanitarian Blockade and Sexual Violence
Independent monitoring and scholarly analysis show that the Tigray conflict featured a substantial humanitarian blockade, where aid was delayed or prevented, contributing to famine‐level conditions, starvation and mass displacement (Congressional Research Service, 2021). In addition, sexual violence—including rape as a weapon of war—has been documented extensively, with some survivors stating that “it would have been better if they had killed me” (BBC, 2025). These findings indicate that the conflict may meet the legal threshold for crimes against humanity or genocide.
Reda’s interview conspicuously omitted meaningful acknowledgement of federal responsibility for these grave violations, focusing instead on TPLF grievances and general “crimes” in Tigray. His refusal to engage with the detailed evidence undercuts the possibility of genuine accountability.
Accountability, Memory, and Justice
The significance of the interview lies beyond rhetorical debate. For survivors of the conflict—especially women who experienced sexual violence and communities that suffered starvation—the distinction between naming perpetrators and portraying shared responsibility matters enormously. Deflection and evasion perpetuate impunity, inhibit healing, and delay reconciliation. As one diaspora activist remarked outside the interview venue: “My family is still missing… and Reda sits there, explaining ‘pragmatism’ to foreigners” (Teklemariam, 2025).
To move forward, the following steps are critical:
- Acknowledge systematic atrocities across all concerned regions (Tigray, Amhara, Afar).
- Identify individual and institutional responsibility, including state actors.
- Provide mechanisms for reparations, survivor protection, and independent truth‐seeking.
Conclusion
Getachew Reda’s appearance on Head-to-Head exposed a tangle of deflection, denial and self-contradiction. While Mehdi Hassan sought accountability and clarity, Reda repeatedly sidelined direct responsibility, avoided naming Abiy Ahmed as perpetrator, and introduced personal history that complicates his moral standing. The Tigray war is not a distant event—it is an ongoing humanitarian crisis whose victims demand justice. Reda’s evasions serve to obscure rather than illuminate the truth. In a landscape marked by famine, sexual violence and mass displacement, words alone cannot substitute for accountability.
References
Al Jazeera English. (2025, November). Getachew Reda on his complicated relationship with PM Abiy Ahmed [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7F0ZDKZnl6E (YouTube)
Congressional Research Service. (2021, June 10). Ethiopia’s transition and the Tigray conflict (R46905). https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/R/PDF/R46905/R46905.1.pdf (Congress.gov)
Teklemariam, S. (2025, November 25). Democracy under construction or closed for renovation? Ethiopian Tribune. https://ethiopiantribune.com/2025/11/getachew-redda/ (Ethiopian Tribune)
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Getachew Reda. In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getachew_Reda (Wikipedia)
Editor’s Note : Views in the article do not necessarily reflect the views of borkena.com
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“I believe genocide has been committed in Tigray by Abiy Ahmed, and I stand by that.”
The above statement is incorrect. The journalist’s entire focus during the interview was to persuade Gecho that Abiy committed genocide in Tigray.