Addis Ababa: The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) has criticized the latest U.S. visa restrictions targeting individuals accused of undermining the implementation of the Pretoria peace agreement, describing the measure as one-sided and calling on Washington to also scrutinize the actions of Ethiopia’s federal government.
In a statement, the TPLF said it was concerned by the U.S. decision and argued that responsibility for delays in implementing the Pretoria agreement should not be attributed solely to the Tigrayan side.
The group asserted that the federal government has been the primary obstacle to the full implementation of the peace accord signed in November 2022. The TPLF cited issues including budget reductions, fuel supply restriction in Tigray, and delays in the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) as examples of unfulfilled commitments under the agreement.
The statement also accused the federal government of failing to meet key obligations outlined in the Pretoria accord, including facilitating the return of displaced populations to their places of origin.
As part of its response, the TPLF called on the United States to take a number of measures, including increasing pressure on the federal government to fully implement the terms of the Pretoria agreement.
The reaction follows a U.S. State Department announcement imposing visa restrictions on individuals it says are responsible for, or complicit in, undermining efforts to resolve the crisis in the Tigray region. U.S. officials said the measures target those obstructing the implementation of the Pretoria peace accord.
