May 27, 2025
Mekelle, Tigray — On the occasion of the 34th anniversary of its victory that marked the fall of the Derg regime, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) issued a strongly worded statement criticizing the Ethiopian government for what it described as a lack of commitment to fully implementing the Pretoria Agreement, signed to end the two-year war on Tigray.
In the statement, the TPLF accused the federal government of deliberately delaying the implementation of the agreement and warned of emerging signs of violations.
“The Ethiopian government has not shown any willingness to fully implement the Pretoria Agreement,” the TPLF declared. “Our people remain under occupation by hostile forces and continue to face persecution, displacement, hunger, and disease.”
The party stressed that the suffering of the displaced Tigrayan population—many of whom remain in makeshift shelters years after the outbreak of war—has been prolonged by the failure to ensure justice and accountability for what it described as genocide committed during the conflict.
Despite the grievances, the TPLF reaffirmed its commitment to peace, calling it the “strategic principle” of the party, the interim regional administration, and the Tigrayan people.
“We have been doing our part to ensure these problems are resolved peacefully and in accordance with the Pretoria Agreement,” the statement read, while calling on the Ethiopian government to recommit to the agreement and halt any actions that risk undermining peace.
The TPLF also called on international guarantors of the Pretoria Agreement—including governments and multilateral institutions—to “fulfill their historic responsibility” to ensure the agreement is fully implemented and to alleviate the suffering of the people of Tigray.
Reflecting on the legacy of the struggle that led to the 1991 victory, the TPLF praised the people of Tigray for their endurance and sacrifices in the face of oppression and called for unity to overcome current challenges.
“To overcome this complex stage of struggle, you must safeguard your history of resistance and move forward toward inevitable victory by confronting efforts to divide us—the unity that has always been our strength.”
Concluding the statement, the TPLF vowed to uphold its “legal, historical, and moral duty” to protect the rights, dignity, and aspirations of the Tigrayan people.
