UTNA Press Release

Dedebit News | May 16, 2023

It is to be remembered a cessation of hostilities was signed between Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Federal Government of Ethiopia to end the genocidal war in Tigray. The agreement was able to silence the guns for the most part and basic services were restored although at a limited level. The spirit of the Pretoria agreement was to normalize the situation through steps. As part of the agreement Tigray forces have been disarmed in compliance with the agreement as verified by AU monitoring body, whereas none ENDF forces that should have been out of Tigray according to the agreement are still occupying Western Tigray and Southern Tigray as well as parts of Eastern and Northwestern Tigray. Union of Tigrayans in North of America (UTNA) calls for the immediate and full implementation of the Pretoria agreement ensuring the withdrawal of Amhara and Eritrean forces from the mentioned Tigray territories. Considering the circumstances, the political parties of Tigray were in, Union of Tigrayans in North of America (UTNA) found that the National Election Board of Ethiopia’s negative responses to the parties to be counterproductive. Given Tigray People’s Liberation Front being one of the signatory parties to the Pretoria agreement, National Election Board of Ethiopia’s decision not to reinstate TPLF’s former legal status leaves the Pretoria agreement in question. Moreover, National Election Board of Ethiopia using participation in arms conflict as a criterion to make decision is biased and violates the very core principle of the Pretoria agreement. UTNA calls on the National Election Board of Ethiopia to reconsider its decision in the context of the Pretoria agreement and to immediately reinstate TPLF to its former legal status allowing it to fulfil its responsibilities as part of the Tigray Interim Regional Administration.