The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) alleges that the Ethiopian government is “busy creating political intrigue through the death and suffering of our people,” claiming as a result that armed groups occupying Western Tigray are successfully implementing a “strategy of deception” regarding the issue of displaced people from Tigray.
In its weekly message, the TPLF accused the Ethiopian government of failing to implement the Pretoria peace agreement, thereby prolonging the suffering of the people of Tigray. The party stated that the people of Western Tigray have been enduring “daily death and suffering for five years” at the hands of what it called “invading forces” that have forcibly occupied the area.
The Pretoria Agreement, signed nearly three years ago to end the conflict and facilitate the return of displaced people and refugees, has not been implemented due to the “destructive stance of the Ethiopian government,” the party said.
“The people of Tigray, despite being in a state of death and suffering, have been patiently demanding day and night that the Ethiopian government implement the agreement it entered into, that the silent genocide end, that the invading forces withdraw, and that their security be guaranteed for their return to their homes,” the TPLF statement said.
The statement also strongly condemned what it called a “group of national betrayal” within Tigray, accusing it of acting as a “loyal servant of the Ethiopian government” and facilitating this deception. “This group, which has repeatedly betrayed Tigray, continues to be a tool of the genocidaires who have launched a campaign against the sovereignty and existence of Tigray,” the TPLF said.
The TPLF called on the Ethiopian government to cease its “wrongdoing” against the people of Tigray, which it said includes deploying armed groups and using collaborators, and to fulfil its obligations under the peace agreement.
“Our displaced and refugee compatriots must have their security guaranteed and return to their homes,” the statement demanded. “The Ethiopian government, in accordance with the agreement it entered into, should fulfil its duty by removing the invaders as well as the settlers who have entered and occupied the homes of our people from the land of Tigray, and the issue of the return of the displaced should be handled through an institutional process in accordance with the agreement.”
The TPLF also appealed to the international community, mediating countries, and international institutions to monitor the implementation of the Pretoria Agreement and to work to stop what it described as an ongoing “silent genocide.” The party urged these bodies to ensure the Ethiopian government refrains from actions that contradict the agreement it signed.
