Getachew Reda
{{Short description|Ethiopian politician}}
{{Patronymic name|Getachew Reda or Getachew|Kahsay|his}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image = Getachew Reda (VOA Tigrigna, September 2023), 1.png
| width = 220px
| caption = Getachew Reda in September 2023
| name = Getachew Reda
| native_name = {{native name|ti|{{small|ጌታቸው ረዳ}}|icon=no}}
| native_name_lang = Tigrinya
| order =
| office = Minister Advisor for East African Affairs
| primeminister = Abiy Ahmed
| term_start = 11 April 2025
| office1 = Chief Administrator of the
Interim Regional Administration of Tigray
| term_start1 = 23 March 2023
| term_end1 = 8 April 2025
| predecessor1 = Debretsion Gebremichael
Abraham Belay
| successor1 = Tadesse Werede
| president1 =
| office2 = Spokesperson for the
Tigray People's Liberation Front
| term_start2 = 2020
| term_end2 = 2024
| predecessor2 =
| successor2 =
| president2 =
| office3 = Minister of Communication Affairs
| term_start3 = 2012
| term_end3 = 1 November 2016
| predecessor3 = Bereket Simon
| successor3 = Negeri Lencho
| president3 = Mulatu Teshome
| primeminister3 = Meles Zenawi
Hailemariam Desalegn
| pronunciation =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth month and age|1974|6|}}
| birth_place = Alamata, Wollo Province, Ethiopian Empire{{cite web |title=Getachew Reda Biography {{!}} His Involvement in Tigray War |url=https://typicalethiopian.com/getachew-reda-childhood-family-his-involvement-in-tigray-war/ |website=Typical Ethiopian |date=20 March 2022}}
{{resize|(present-day Alamata, Tigray Region, Ethiopia)}}
| citizenship =
| nationality = Ethiopian
| party = {{nobr|Tigray People's Liberation Front}} formerly
Tigray Liberal Democratic Party (since 2025)
| otherparty =
| spouse =
| partner =
| relations =
| children =
| parents =
| relatives =
| education = Addis Ababa University (LL.B)
Alabama University (LL.M)
| nickname = {{ubl|Made them frighten (ኣርዓዶም)|Son of Reda (ወዲ ረዳ) | Sanitizer (ሳኒታይዘር)}}
| allegiance = {{flag|Tigray}}
| branch = Tigray Defense Forces
| branch_label = Branch
| serviceyears =
| rank =
| unit =
| commands =
| battles = Tigray War
| battles_label = Conflicts
| footnotes =
}}
Getachew Reda Kahsay (Tigrinya and Amharic: ጌታቸው ረዳ ካሕሳይ; born June 1974) is an Ethiopian politician who is serving as the Minister Advisor for East African Affairs. Before this role, he served as the Chief Administrator of the Interim Regional Administration of Tigray, following his appointment by the Office of the Prime Minister of Ethiopia on 23 March 2023. Before assuming power as chief administrator, he was a longtime advisor to the former president of the Tigray Region, Debretsion Gebremichael.{{cite web|date=20 June 2020|title=Getachew Reda . . .|url=https://addisfortune.news/getachew-reda/|newspaper=Addis Fortune}}{{cite web|date=21 November 2020|title=Ethiopia says it captured Tigrayan town of Adigrat|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/21/ethiopia-denies-talks-on-tigray-region-growing-conflict|website=Al Jazeera}}
Getachew was also an executive committee member and the spokesperson for the Tigray People's Liberation Front.{{cite web|date=22 November 2020|url=https://www.ft.com/content/748d41d0-35e2-44b6-9833-2bf21f57528b|title=Ethiopia tells Tigrayans to 'save themselves' ahead of assault on capital|newspaper=Financial Times|url-access=subscription}}{{cite web|last1=陈蓓|date=15 November 2020|title=Rockets from Ethiopia hit Eritrea's capital|url=http://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202011/15/WS5fb08d43a31024ad0ba941d4.html|website=China Daily}}
Getachew was the Minister of Government Communications Affairs in Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn's federal government of Ethiopia until 2016.{{cite web|title=Ethiopia says will not escalate border clash with Eritrea|url=https://gulf-times.com/story/498058|date=14 June 2016|website=Gulf Times}}{{cite web|title=News: Battered by persistent public protests, Ethiopia forms new government|url=https://addisstandard.com/news-battered-persistent-public-protests-ethiopia-forms-new-government/|date=1 November 2016|newspaper=Addis Standard}}
Early life and education
Getachew completed his undergraduate studies at Addis Ababa University's School of Law. Between 2001 and 2002, he completed a Master of Law at Alabama University, Tuscaloosa, United States. Before taking a government position in 2009, he served as a professor of law at Mekelle University, located in the capital city of Tigray Region.
Career
= Tigray War =
Getachew worked as the political advisor of the President of the Tigray Region, Debretsion Gebremichael, in supporting the Tigray Defense Forces (TDF) in their war with the federal government of Ethiopia, Amhara Special Forces, Fano militia and the foreign government of Eritrea. Getachew, in an interview with Tigray TV, urged young people and others in the region to "rise and deploy to battle in tens of thousands."{{Cite web|date=4 December 2020|title=Thousands killed in Ethiopia's conflict, Tigray side asserts|url=https://apnews.com/article/ethiopia-abiy-ahmed-kenya-568cc5a4b173f5a4467455cd418f44de|publisher=AP News}} In April 2021, Getachew's Twitter account was verified.
On 28 June 2021, Getachew announced that the TDF had captured Mekelle, causing the ENDF soldiers to retreat entirely from the area. The Ethiopian federal government declared a unilateral ceasefire starting from 28 June 2021 until the farming season ends.{{Cite web|date=28 June 2021|title=Tigray's former rulers back in Mekelle, Ethiopian government declares ceasefire|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/mekelle-under-our-control-spokesperson-tigrays-former-rulers-says-2021-06-28/|publisher=Reuters}} On 20 December 2021, Getachew announced that the TDF had withdrawn from both Amhara and Afar regions in an attempt to induce the international community to put pressure on the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments and to facilitate the distribution of humanitarian aid in the two conflict regions.{{Cite news|date=20 December 2021|title=Tigray forces withdraw from neighbouring Ethiopian regions - spokesman|language=en|publisher=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/tigray-forces-withdraw-neighbouring-ethiopian-regions-spokesperson-2021-12-20/}} However Billene Seyoum, the spokesman for Abiy Ahmed, disputed this claim and asserted that the announcement was a cover-up for military setbacks.{{Cite web|date=20 December 2021|title=Tigrayan forces announce retreat to Ethiopia's Tigray region|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/12/20/tplf-rebels-announce-retreat-to-ethiopias-tigray-region|website=Al Jazeera}}
On 2 November 2022, Getachew was the Tigray representative present for the signing of the agreement to permanently cease hostilities with the Ethiopian central government.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/02/ethiopian-civil-war-parties-agree-truce-to-end-hostilities|title=Ethiopian civil war: parties agree on end to hostilities|date=2 November 2022|newspaper=The Guardian}}
= After the Tigray War =
On 23 March 2023, Getachew's appointment as head of the Interim Regional Administration of Tigray was announced.{{cite Q|Q117283066|url-status=live}}
In March 2025, The Guardian reported that a faction of the Tigray People's Liberation Front, led by Debretsion Gebremichael, took over several offices in the Tigray regional capital of Mekelle.{{Cite news |last=Harter |first=Fred |date=2025-03-21 |title=Power struggle leads to coup in Tigray as war looms between Ethiopia and Eritrea |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/mar/21/tigray-mekelle-coup-war-ethiopia-eritrea-assab-port-abiy-ahmed |access-date=2025-03-21 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} In what it called a coup, it reported that armed men belonging to the faction patrolled the streets of Mekelle at night, checking people's identification. The Guardian also said that there are some reports suggesting that Eritrean intelligence helped Debretsion's faction assume power. Meanwhile, it reported that Getachew had fled to Addis Ababa..On 11 April 2025, it was announced that Getachew Reda had been appointed as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali's Advisor for East African Affairs.{{cite news |title=ጌታቸው ረዳ ኣብ ቀዳማይ ሚኒስትር ኣብይ ኣሕመድ ጸሓፊ ጉልበት ምልማስ ተመድቦም |url=https://www.bbc.com/tigrinya/articles/cd02ll5pdxgo |website=BBC News Tigrinya |date=11 April 2025 |access-date=11 April 2025}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Twitter|reda_getachew}}
- [https://www.africaintelligence.com/eastern-africa-and-the-horn/2025/05/14/addis-ababa-backs-creation-of-armed-tigrayan-opposition-in-afar-region,110449004-gra Addis Ababa backs creation of armed Tigrayan opposition in Afar region], Africa Intelligence, 14 May 2025 (requires free registration)
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Getachew Reda}}
Category:Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front politicians
Category:Tigray People's Liberation Front politicians
Category:Addis Ababa University alumni