The Western Zone () is a zone in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. It is subdivided into three woredas (districts); from north to south they are Kafta Humera, Welkait and Tsegede. The largest town is Humera. The Western Zone is bordered on the east by the North Western Zone, the south by the Amhara Region, the west by Sudan and on the north by Eritrea. Prior to the 1990s, what is now the Western Zone was part of the historical province of Begemder, before being annexed into Tigray. Since November 2020, as part of the Tigray War, the administration of the Western Zone was taken over by officials from the Amhara Region. History Historically, the areas situated west of the Tekeze river were not part of Tigray. Welkait, Tsegede, Kafta Humera (now called Western Tigray) and Tselemti in the North Western Zone at times the areas were autonomous provinces ruled by Amhara nobles and other times fell under the administration of Begemder. Zemene Mesafint (1769-1855) During the era of the princes, areas west of the Tekeze river was governed by an Semien based heredietary Amhara family. Ras Gebre of Semien was the governor of Semien, Tsegede, Wolkait and Wogera, his long reign lasted 44 years and came to an end in 1815. His son Haile Maryam Gebre succeeded him and reigned between 1815-1826 and was succeeded by his son Wube. The Amhara warlord Wube Haile Maryam governed not only the western side of the Tekeze river since 1826 but also expanded into the east of the Tekeze river and conquered Tigray and areas of what is now in present-day Eritrea during the 1830's. 19th century/20th century studies Geographical and anthropological evidence from European scholars studying Abyssinia in the 19th and early 20th centuries characterizing Amhara and Tigray as historically separate kingdoms of Abyssinia, differing in language, dress and customs, and separated by the Tekeze River. Examples includes 1831 publication based on Nathaniel Pearce journals during his residency in early 19th century Abyssinia, that distinguished areas west of Tekeze as separate from Tigray. Other accounts include the 1847 work of traveller Mansfield Parkyns who observed that the areas west of the Tekeze river was the boundary between Tigray and Begemder, which was similary asserted by his contemporary Walter Plowden in his posthumously published writings in 1868. Annexation into Tigray; killings and displacement of Amharas (1990s) In the early 1990s, parts of