The Tigray People’s Liberation Front announced on 20 April that it is reinstating the region’s parliament, effectively voiding a key provision of the peace deal that ended one of this century’s deadliest conflicts. The move raises the prospect of a return to full-scale war in northern Ethiopia.
Why it matters
The 2022 Pretoria Agreement, brokered by the African Union, ended a two-year civil war that killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions. Its collapse would destabilise the Horn of Africa, a region already strained by the Sudan war next door, and threaten one of the AU’s most significant mediation achievements.
What the TPLF said
The party’s central committee announced on Facebook that it would reinstate the Tigray Government Assembly, the regional parliament it had agreed to suspend as part of the peace process. The TPLF accused Addis Ababa of three violations: provoking armed conflict within Tigray, withholding funds to pay regional civil servants, and extending the tenure of the interim administration’s president without consulting the party.
The federal government’s position
Ethiopia’s federal government has not issued a formal response. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s administration has previously said it remains committed to the Pretoria Agreement and has accused the TPLF of using the interim period to rebuild its military capacity.
Signs of renewed fighting
The peace deal has been under strain for months. Armed clashes broke out in January between TPLF forces and the federal army. At least one person was killed in drone strikes in the northern region. Both sides have been accused of military mobilisation along the Tigray border.
The broader picture
Ethiopia turned down a 60% stake in Djibouti’s Port of Tadjoura on 11 April, signalling its ongoing pursuit of alternative maritime access. New security guarantees from the UAE have given Addis Ababa room to manoeuvre without fear of isolation. The African Union, which brokered the original deal, has not yet responded publicly to the TPLF’s announcement.