Eighteen months after signing the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement in Pretoria, Ethiopia’s federal government faces mounting criticism from Tigray’s interim administration over what they call systematic foot-dragging on key provisions, including disarmament timelines, humanitarian access, and transitional justice mechanisms.
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front, now reconstituted as a political party, issued a rare public statement this week accusing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government of using the peace process as diplomatic cover while maintaining de facto military control over contested western Tigray territories.
Eritrean forces, whose withdrawal was a central pillar of the agreement, remain present in northern Tigray according to satellite imagery analysed by the Conflict Observatory. The African Union’s monitoring team has acknowledged “significant gaps” in implementation.
The deteriorating situation has implications beyond Ethiopia’s borders, with regional analysts warning that renewed instability could destabilize the Horn of Africa and undermine AU-led peace architecture across the continent.
