Ethiopia Suspends Tigray Television Broadcast After Alliance Announcement Against the Government

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The Ethiopian Media Authority announced the indefinite suspension of Tigray Television's broadcasts starting today, Monday, a decision that comes days after rising tensions in the region and coinciding with the station broadcasting statements from a coalition of armed groups that declared their opposition to the federal government.

The authority stated that the decision was based on the results of monitoring the station's media content, which concluded, according to its assessment, that the station continued to broadcast messages that threaten the country's security and national interests, in addition to content it described as inciting conflict and encouraging extremism.

The authority clarified in its statement that Tigray Television had resumed its broadcasts after the peace agreement reached between the federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front in Pretoria, South Africa, on November 2, 2022, under which the ban on the station was lifted as per the agreement.

According to the authority, the new suspension decision came within the framework of its powers and legal obligations, and it will continue indefinitely, without specifying in its statement a potential date for resuming broadcasts.

The Ethiopian Media Authority has warned local and international media against relying on Tigray TV as a source of information, or broadcasting and rebroadcasting materials produced by the station in violation of its directives.

The authority confirmed that it will take the necessary legal and administrative measures against any media outlet that proves to be in violation of these instructions.

The decision came after Tigray TV broadcast statements from a coalition of armed groups that announced, yesterday Sunday, the formation of a coalition aimed at coordinating their movements against the federal government and overthrowing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, at a time when the Amhara and Oromia regions are witnessing ongoing fighting, while tensions are rising again in Tigray.

The coalition includes seven armed groups, including the Tigray forces, the Fano ethnic group in Amhara, and the Oromo Liberation Army, along with other organizations active in various regions of the country. Emmanuel Assefa, the deputy head of the Tigray People's Liberation Front, stated that the goal of the coalition is to overthrow the government and pave the way for the formation of a transitional government, according to what was reported by Agence France-Presse.

Assefa added that the new alliances aim to change the federal government and open the way for a transitional phase, while the formation of the coalition follows previous efforts to bring together the positions of armed groups active in different areas of Ethiopia.

In August, the leader of "Fano" Zemen Kassi announced the unification of the movement's factions under one leadership, stating that groups representing various Ethiopian nationalities and regions had formed an alliance to coordinate their actions against the government of Abiy Ahmed.

The "Oromo Liberation Army" also announced on September 17 that a broader cooperation among armed opposition forces had begun to take shape, but clarified at the same time that this cooperation does not represent a comprehensive political agreement.