Keria Ibrahim

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Keria Ibrahim (born 22 March 1973) is an Ethiopian politician. She served as Speaker of the House of the Federation from May 6, 2018, until her resignation on June 9, 2020. She has also been the Tigray region’s head of civil service, the chief administrator of the South Eastern zone, and the head of Women’s Affairs in the region. She is one of the nine Central Committee members of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and was its only Muslim member.

Keria was born in Asmara (now in Eritrea) and grew up in Wukro, Tigray. She came from a middle-class family that ran a small kiosk. She did not pass secondary school, but later earned a BA in Economics and an MA in Environmental Anthropology. She has worked in various levels of the Tigray regional administration since 1988 and is one of the few women leaders in the TPLF.

She was the Speaker of the House of Federation from May 2018 to June 2020. She was also a founding member of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) and served on its Executive Committee.

In 2020, after the COVID-19 pandemic delayed elections, she accused Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government of violating the constitution and forming a dictatorial government, leading to her resignation as speaker. In November 2020, during the Tigray War, an arrest warrant was issued for her and other TPLF leaders. She surrendered to federal forces in Mekelle on December 1, 2020, and appeared in court in January 2021. She was released on bail in March 2021, with prosecutors saying there was not enough evidence to detain her. In May 2021 she faced further court proceedings, including claims about testifying, which she said were forced.

On March 30, 2023, Keria and other TPLF leaders were released from prison, a move seen in connection with a peace deal between the Ethiopian government and the TPLF.