The Tigray People's Liberation Front, or TPLF, unilaterally reconvened the 2020 Tigray State Council and announced the election of TPLF Chair Debretsion Gebremichael as its head, stating that these moves were in response to the Ethiopian government having "violated" the 2022 peace deal that ended the Tigray war, Addis Standard reported on May 5. This comes amid reports of an explosion near the regional president's office on May 4 and an Ethiopian government aircraft maneuvering over Tigray's regional capital, Mekele.

A key provision of the peace deal that ended the 2020-22 Tigray war was the formation of an interim regional administration in Tigray, which Tadesse was appointed to lead in April 2025 after the TPLF ousted his predecessor. The Ethiopian government extended Tadesse's term by one year on April 8, but the TPLF said the move violated the Pretoria Agreement on the basis that it was not adequately consulted. Despite pressure from the TPLF, Tadesse said he would not resign from his position, and on April 20, the TPLF called for the reinstatement of the Tigray State Council.