Ethiopia: TPLF Claims Pretoria Agreement Remains in Limbo
Ethiopia: Unresolved Elements in Pretoria Agreement, TPLF Voices Concerns
ADDIS ABABA – On the milestone marking two years since the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, better known as the Pretoria Agreement, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) expressed their dissatisfaction with numerous unresolved matters. Many issues are still dangling in limbo despite the deadlines set in Pretoria and later restated in Nairobi.
The TPLF, entangled in its own internal disputes, recognized the agreement’s significant achievements but pointed out that major matters remain pending. They spotlight the grim reality that nearly half of Tigray’s territory is “still shackled by occupation.” Thousands of internally displaced folks wrestle with grim conditions, scraping by in battered, tattered tents.
In the southern areas of Tigray and Tselemti, residents continue grappling with “constant harassment, sexual exploitation, raids on livestock, and unjust detentions.” They are even coerced into altering their identities, which the TPLF avers is an orchestrated plot designed for manipulation.
The plight of Tigrayan refugees languishing in Sudan was also highlighted, as they endure what the TPLF describes as “horrendous humanitarian situations.” The ongoing delay in implementing the accord is attributed to hesitation from Addis Ababa’s authorities, internal schisms particularly within the TPLF, and insufficient international clout.
Even so, TPLF emphasized that the “Pretoria Agreement remains the bedrock for tranquility,” urging the global community to crank up the pressure and push for its complete fulfillment. Driving the advocacy for this agreement were pivotal entities such as the United Nations, the U.S., and the African Union. The TPLF itself is caught in a web of internal tussles, further stalling the execution of fundamental elements in the pact.
Pledging its steadfast determination, TPLF vowed to join hands with involved parties to operationalize the agreement’s stipulations, promising to “undertake every conceivable measure to enact the pact with swift fidelity.”
Power play exists with interim leader Getachew Reda and ex-regional leader Debretsion Gebremichael vying for dominance over the faction. In retaliation, Getachew’s provisional administration accused Debretsion’s lot of endeavors to “misbalance” the region, deeming their actions akin to orchestrating a “coup d’état.” The interim leadership pointed a finger, threatening legal recourse against Debretsion’s side for purportedly stirring “mayhem and disorder” in Tigray, as reported by Addis Standard.
AXADLETM