Ethiopia removes TPLF as terrorist group amid peace negotiations
This comes as the TPLF disarms as part of the peace deal in return for restored access to the Tigray region after the conflict.
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Ethiopian government rep Redwan Hussien and Tigray delegate Getachew Reda at the signing of the peace deal in South Africa, on November 2, 2022 (Reuters)
As part of a positive step in the peace negotiations to end the two-year conflict, the Ethiopian government removed the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) on Wednesday from an official list that designated it as a terrorist group.
The parliament posted on Facebook: "The house has approved the decision to lift the TPLF's terrorist designation with a majority vote," adding: "It was remarked during the discussion of the draft decision that lifting TPLF's terrorist designation is indispensable to uphold the peace agreement held between the federal government and TPLF."
The TPLF joined the terrorism list back in May 2021 a few months after the conflict broke out. However, in conformance with the peace deal, the TPLF agreed to give up its arms to restore access to the Tigray region.
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"Tigray has handed over its heavy weapons as part of its commitment to implementing the #Pretoria agreement" that was signed between Ethiopia's government and Tigrayan rebels, Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) Spokesperson Getachew Reda tweeted in January.
Tigray has handed over its heavy weapons as part of its commitment to implementing the #Pretoria agreement, and the Monitoring & Verification Team has confirmed it. We hope & expect this will go a long way in expediting the full implementation of the agreement. We hope & expect!
— Getachew K Reda (@reda_getachew) January 10, 2023
Former Nigerian President and the African Union's chief negotiator in the peace talks Olusegun Obasanjo was quoted by The Financial Times back in January as well that an estimated 600,000 people were killed during the conflict.
Ethiopian officials stated that when the peace agreement was struck on November 2, 2022, it prevented "1,000 deaths every day," as per Obasanjo.
Last month, and for the first time, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and other government representatives met with Tigrayan leaders and reviewed "actions carried out on the implementation of the Pretoria and Nairobi peace agreements so far".
