By Abel Tewodros
In a political landscape defined by shifting allegiances, few transformations are as jarring as that of Getachew Reda. Once the fiery mouthpiece of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the man who accused Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of “perfecting genocide into an art form,” Getachew now sits in Addis Ababa as a federal minister and adviser to the very leader he once fought.
In a combative and revealing appearance on Al Jazeera’s Head to Head, Getachew attempted to justify this alliance, navigating questions on war crimes, his fractured relationship with the TPLF, and the looming threat of a new regional war.
A “Pragmatic” Betrayal?
The central tension of the interview lay in Getachew’s decision to join the federal government after the brutal two-year civil war in Tigray. Host Mehdi Hasan pressed him on the personal contradictions of his new role, noting that Getachew had previously claimed Abiy’s forces tried to assassinate him via drone and had abducted his own sister.
When asked how his sister feels about him working with her abductors, Getachew offered a stark, utilitarian defense:
“My sister would feel the pain of having to go through the kinds of problems she had to face. But I think it would be fair to say that my sister is going to feel relieved that the kinds of sufferings she had to go through, people would not have to go through anymore.”
He framed his defection not as a change of heart, but as a necessary maneuver to break the “totalitarian control” of his former comrades in the TPLF, whom he blames for failing the people of Tigray through “misguided leadership.”
Walking Back the “Genocide” Charge
Perhaps the most uncomfortable segment of the interview concerned the accusation of genocide. During the war, Getachew was unequivocal that Abiy Ahmed was committing genocide against Tigrayans. Now, as an adviser to the Prime Minister, his language has shifted into legalistic ambiguity.
“I will tell you this as a lawyer,” Getachew equivocated when asked if Abiy committed genocide. “I cannot say who did this and that… but the crime was committed.”
While he refused to retract the claim that a genocide occurred, he stopped short of directly implicating his new boss, stating instead that he would “give [Abiy] the opportunity to defend himself in court.” This refusal to pin blame on the man in charge drew sharp criticism from the panel, particularly journalist Tsedale Lemma, who described the pivot as “moral collapse.”
Accountability and the “231” List
Getachew also faced scrutiny over his own side’s conduct. During the war, he had dismissed reports of Tigrayan forces committing massacres as a “figment of someone’s imagination.” Confronted with UN documentation of these crimes, he admitted that “in the benefit of hindsight,” atrocities were committed by “off-grid officers,” though he insisted there was never a central command to target civilians.
In a surprising disclosure, Getachew discussed his recent exposure of a list of 231 TPLF affiliates accused of crimes ranging from human trafficking to gold smuggling. However, he admitted to “tolerating” these crimes for years to maintain party unity, a confession that raised questions about his own complicity during his tenure as Tigray’s interim president.
The Failure of the Pretoria Agreement
Despite the 2022 peace deal, the reality on the ground for Tigrayans remains grim. Millions are displaced, and Western Tigray is still occupied by Amhara forces. Getachew defended his recent meeting with Amhara official Demeke Zewdu, accused by rights groups of ethnic cleansing, as a painful necessity.
“I have to swallow my pride,” Getachew said, arguing that the only way to return displaced people to their homes is to engage with the “people who are in charge,” however unpalatable that may be.
War Clouds Over the Red Sea
The conversation shifted to the growing fear that Ethiopia is preparing to invade Eritrea to secure access to a Red Sea port. Prime Minister Abiy has declared that Ethiopia’s landlocked status is a “historic error” that must be corrected, sparking alarm across the region.
Getachew, however, dismissed the inevitability of war. He offered an anecdotal defense, citing his recent trip to the Afar region, where he saw “concrete asphalt” roads being built by the Ethiopian government near the border. He argued that such infrastructure investment signals a desire for trade and stability, not war.
Panelist Kjetil Tronvoll, a professor of peace and conflict studies, sharply disagreed, warning that “war is coming and it’s coming pretty soon,” citing Ethiopia’s aggressive diplomatic posturing and the breakdown of the alliance between Abiy and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki.
The “Messiah” Complex
Finally, the interview touched on Prime Minister Abiy’s leadership style. Critics have long alleged that Abiy believes he is divinely ordained to rule a “messiah complex” that drives his centralization of power.
Getachew denied that Abiy ever personally told him he was “God’s chosen,” but admitted that the Prime Minister “has yet to prove his mettle” as a leader who can unify the country. On the topic of the “Medemer” (synergy) philosophy, which Getachew once ridiculed as “[__],” he softened his stance, calling it a “grand idea” that simply requires better implementation.
Conclusion
Getachew Reda’s interview paints a portrait of a survivor trying to navigate a zero-sum political game. To his supporters, he is a pragmatist doing the dirty work necessary to save his region from further ruin. To his critics, he is an opportunist who has traded justice for a seat at the table. As Ethiopia faces renewed threats of conflict and internal repression, Getachew’s gamble remains one of the most high-stakes plays in African politics.
Source: Based on the “Head to Head” interview with Mehdi Hasan, Al Jazeera, November 27, 2025.
Editor’s Note : Views in the article do not necessarily reflect the views of borkena.com
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