Borkena
Toronto – Diplomats from five countries and the European Union arrived in Mekelle, the capital of Ethiopia’s Tigray region, on Tuesday, as tensions escalate between rival factions of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), raising fears of renewed conflict.
Ambassadors and representatives from the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy, Germany, France, and the European Union are currently in the region, underscoring the gravity of the situation.
“We are here in large numbers shows the degree of concern that the international community has,” Darren Welch, the British Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union, told reporters in Mekelle.
In January of this year, the Ethiopian federal government issued a statement advising diplomats against traveling outside the capital, Addis Ababa. It remains unclear whether the diplomats coordinated their visit to Mekelle with Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Reports from the region indicate that the diplomats met with Getachew Reda, President of the Tigray Region Interim Administration. They are also scheduled to meet with Debretsion Gebremichael, the leader of one of the TPLF factions, who reportedly enjoys the explicit support of the majority of armed group commanders in the region.
According to sources, the primary agenda of the discussions centered on the conditions of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), including the question of how and when they can safely return to their homes. It appears that these discussions were framed within the context of implementing the Pretoria Agreement. Government sources in the region also revealed, without providing specific details, that the political situation in Tigray was also a point of discussion. The diplomats reportedly pushed the politicians to make addressing the conditions of IDPs a priority.
In a social media post published on Tuesday, Getachew Reda shared views from the diplomats’ visit. He stated, “The diplomats emphasized that the return of IDPs should be the top priority for all stakeholders in implementing the Pretoria Agreement. They pledged to fully support this effort.”
Getachew also acknowledged shortcomings in his administration’s efforts, a sentiment that appeared to resonate with the diplomats.
“We all agreed that Tigray’s internal political situation is largely a result of the failure of the Interim Administration, the federal government, and other stakeholders to ensure the timely implementation of IDP returns,” Getachew said.
Last week, the World Food Program (WFP) revealed that the TPLF had been pressuring IDPs to contribute 200 birr per household to “save the TPLF,” a practice the WFP described as unacceptable.
The faction under Debretsion was also reported to have made moves against the Pretoria Agreement. The TPLF has over 270,000 armed forces after the end of the war in 2022. Less than 7000 armed groups were disarmed in accordance with the Pretoria agreement.
The Tigray region of Ethiopia was severely devastated by a two-year war between the federal government, led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and the TPLF-led regional government. The conflict is estimated to have claimed as many as one million lives. The neighboring Afar and Amhara regions were also heavily affected by the war. In the Amhara region, fighting continues in many areas between Fano forces and the federal government under Abiy Ahmed’s administration.
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