Mekelle — The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) has accused the Ethiopian government of violating and undermining the Pretoria Peace Agreement, warning that the accord is "more seriously threatened than ever before."
In a statement released on Thursday, the TPLF said the federal government has failed to implement the key provisions of the peace deal signed in November 2022 to end the war in Tigray. The group claimed that "the Ethiopian government has been working to make the agreement meaningless" by arming and supporting forces that continue to occupy parts of Tigray and by obstructing the return of displaced residents.
The statement said the Pretoria Agreement was designed to bring a permanent cessation of hostilities, enable the return of displaced Tigrayans, and lay the foundation for justice, reconstruction, and political dialogue. "However, the Ethiopian government has failed to implement the agreement," the TPLF said, accusing Addis Ababa of "interfering in the accord it entered into before the international community."
The group also alleged that civilians living under "invading forces" continue to face kidnappings and killings based on their identity, while displaced Tigrayans are "dying of cold, disease, hunger, and neglect."
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Referring to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's recent speech in parliament, the TPLF criticized him for "downplaying the five-year genocide in Tigray" by characterizing the war as a "two-month conflict." The statement said the remark "shows how much he is making fun of the death and suffering of the people of Tigray and how unrepentant he is for his past destruction."
The TPLF further accused the prime minister of prioritizing a referendum over the return of displaced people to their homes, alleging that the government is working "to demographically change the land and people of Tigray."
"The speech of the Prime Minister is a continuation of the slander and intimidation that the military and civilian leaders of the Ethiopian government have been spreading against the people and institutions of Tigray," the statement said.
The TPLF warned that "the danger of another round of war being waged by the Ethiopian government is very serious in all aspects" and urged the international community to act swiftly.
"We once again call on the negotiating bodies and international institutions to convene an urgent African Union panel to assess the current situation and save this endangered agreement," the statement concluded.
Recently, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed accuses TPLF of breaching peace deal, calls for development over conflict in Tigray.
The Prime Minister made the remarks while responding to questions from lawmakers during the second regular session of the House of People's Representatives (HoPR) in the fifth year of its working term, held on 28 October 2025.
Abiy told parliament that his government "does not want more fighting in the Tigray region," emphasizing that the focus should now be on "developing the country together."
He further accused TPLF of continuing to contraband arms and of engaging in unauthorized foreign relations, actions he said undermine the peace process.
"In Pretoria, we negotiated with General Tsadkan, Getachew Reda, Assefa Abreha and others. But the main ones are these - the signatories of the agreement," Abiy told lawmakers. "When I ask these people, there are things they tell me. But those who were not in Pretoria shout for the implementation of Pretoria. This is when the saying comes: when there is the woman who bore the child, the one who only carried the baby says 'I am the mother."'
Speaking on the legal status of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), Prime Minister Abiy said the group can restore its legality by re-registering with the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE).
"The TPLF is primarily expected to respect the Election Board, respect the constitution, and hold the proper congress to become a legal party. This is not something difficult," he stated.
Since May 2025, the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) has officially revoked the legal status of the TPLF, citing its failure to comply with electoral-law requirements under a "special registration" framework.
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Earlier in February NEBE announced that it had suspended TPLF from political activities for three months, citing the party's failure to hold a general assembly within the required period. The Board stated that TPLF was expected to convene the assembly within six months of its special registration on 9 August 2024, but had not done so.
The Board justified its decision stating that after initially granting the party a provisional recognition under the amended law (Proclamation 1332/2016), the TPLF failed to hold a general assembly within the stipulated timeframe and ignored written warnings.
The TPLF rejected NEBE's decision, arguing that the pre-war legal status it enjoyed is automatically reinstated under the Pretoria Agreement signed 2 November 2022, and that re-registration under NEBE is neither necessary nor appropriate. "The Pretoria Agreement is the primary legal document directly linking our organization and the FDRE government," the party said.
