Ethiopia’s Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) has accused the federal government of “deliberately undermining the Pretoria Peace Agreement”, which ended the bloody conflict between the two sides in November 2022.
The allegation came after the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) had revoked the legal status of TPLF alleging the party’s alleged failure to adhere to the country’s electoral laws and regulations.
“This act fundamentally violates the validity and integrity of the Pretoria Agreement,” wrote Debretsion Geberemichael, calling the decision by NEBE “unilateral” move by the federal government that reframes a political matter as a technical administrative issue.
NEBE justified the revocation on the basis of the TPLF’s failure to meet legal requirements under Proclamation No. 1332/2016, including holding a general assembly after it was provisionally registered in August 2024.
However, the TPLF has consistently maintained that it never accepted the “special registration,” arguing that the Pretoria Agreement restored its pre-war legal status de facto and therefore made re-registration unnecessary.
The NEBE’s decision invokes Article 99 of Proclamation No. 1162/2019, which enforces full dissolution of a political party, prohibits further activity, and mandates the liquidation or reassignment of its assets.
The tension traces back to NEBE’s original revocation of the party’s registration in January 2021, during the height of the conflict. While a provisional registration was later issued in 2024, the TPLF contends that it was politically coerced and ultimately incompatible with the terms and spirit of the Pretoria accord.
Citing Article 3 and 10 of the CoHA, which guarantee mutual recognition and good-faith implementation, Gebremichael in letter asserted that the federal government’s actions represent not only a breach of peace commitments but a deliberate erosion of trust and reconciliation efforts.
In his letter, Gebremichael requested the African Union to take three urgent steps: to convene an emergency session of the High-Level Panel on Ethiopia to mediate the legal status dispute; place the matter on the agenda of the AU Peace and Security Council to assess NEBE’s compliance with the Pretoria Agreement; and pressure the Ethiopian government to suspend the NEBE’s decision until proper AU guidance is provided.
MG/as/APA