Source: TPF letter to UN GS
Date: 8 October/2025
No: 8993 TP CC, 1062
To:
His Excellency Mr. Antonio Guterres
Secretary-General of the United Nations,
New York
Subject: Clarification on the Allegations by the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia and Appeal for Renewed Commitment to the Full Implementation of the Pretoria Agreement
Your Excellency,
We present our respectful compliments to Your Excellency and the esteemed institutions copied herewith. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) finds it necessary to respond to the recent letter issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, dated 2 October 2025, which unfortunately contains a series of inaccurate and politically motivated allegations against the TPLF and the people of Tigray. Rather than advancing the peace process, such misrepresentations divert attention from the Federal Government’s continued and serious violations of the Permanent Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA), signed in Pretoria in November 2022. We therefore wish to set the record straight and to draw Your Excellency’s attention to the deteriorating situation that threatens the credibility and future of the peace process.
Your Excellency,
The COHA was signed in good faith as a framework to end one of the most devastating genocidal war in modern African history and to lay the foundation for reconciliation, recovery, and political normalization. The TPLF has honored its commitments under the Agreement, as verified by AU and international observers. While we welcomed the initial steps taken to restore basic services such as telecommunications, electricity, and banking, critical provisions–particularly those relating to the protection of civilians, the withdrawal of non-Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) units, the safe return of internally displaced persons (IDPs), and accountability for atrocities–remain largely unfulfilled.
Hundreds of thousands of displaced families continue to live in dire conditions, deprived of shelter, food, and health services. Large parts of Tigray remain under the occupation of non-ENDF forces, in contravention of both the CoHA and Ethiopia’s Constitution. Meanwhile, settlers often supported by ENDF units–occupy private and communal lands belonging to Tigrayan civilians. These realities reflect a deliberate attempt to alter Tigray’s demographic and geographic status, further deepening grievances and mistrust. In addition, several Federal ministries, have publicly promoted narratives claiming Western Tigray as part of the Amhara Region. This stands in blatant violation of Article 1 of the CoHA, which obliges all parties to respect the constitutional framework of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, and Article 4(2), which mandates the withdrawal of all non-ENDF forces from Tigray. These breaches have severely eroded the credibility of the peace process, weakened federal stability, and cast doubt on the government’s commitment to the agreements it has signed before the African Union and the international community.
Moreover, although the TPLF is formally recognized as the signatory to the CoHA, the National Election Board of Ethiopia has taken actions inconsistent with the COHA. The Board’s continued refusal to reinstate the TPLF’s legal personality has undermined the implementation process and the inclusivity envisioned by the Agreement. This denial appears to be politically motivated, designed to marginalize one of the principal signatories and thereby weaken the peace Framework itself.
We are equally concerned about the growing militarization in and around Tigray. The Federal Government’s continued training and arming of new militias-including the so-called Tekeze Guards and certain disgruntled Tigrayan youth in Afar and other neighboring areas-aimed at destabilizing Tigray, constitutes a clear violation of both the letter and the spirit of the COHA. Such actions risk reigniting conflict and undermining the fragile peace that the Pretoria Agreement was designed to consolidate.
Your Excellency,
It is deeply regrettable that, instead of focusing on the genuine implementation of the Pretoria Agreement, the Federal Government appears intent on diverting the attention of the international community through fabricated stories and smear campaigns against the TPLF. The accusation that the TPLF is preparing for war in concert with Eritrea and other armed groups against the Federal Government is entirely unfounded. Equally, the emerging people-to-people interactions between communities in Tigray and Eritrea should have been recognized as a positive and constructive step toward peace building and regional reconciliation, rather than misrepresented as a conspiracy for renewed conflict.
We are, however, deeply concerned that the Federal Government appears to be building a case for yet another war in the region on the basis of such unfounded allegations. This not only undermines the spirit and letter of the Pretoria Agreement but also risks reigniting instability at a time when the region is striving to consolidate peace.
Despite these challenges, Tigray has on many occasions expressed its firm conviction that the only sustainable way out of the current impasse between the two signatories of the Pretoria Agreement is through genuine political dialogue-as enunciated in the Agreement itself. The TPLF and the people of Tigray remain fully committed to such a dialogue, recognizing that peace cannot be sustained through coercion or exclusion, but only through mutual trust, justice, and political understanding.
We have repeatedly called upon the African Union, as well as other key international partners, to convene an urgent review meeting to address the suspended implementation of the CoHA. We therefore appeal to Your Excellency to actively support efforts to convene such a political dialogue, aimed at restoring confidence between the parties and ensuring the comprehensive implementation of the Pretoria Agreement. We also urge the strengthening of the Joint Monitoring, Verification, and Compliance Mechanism (JMVCM), with the necessary independence and access to verify compliance; the withdrawal of all non-ENDF forces from Tigray; the facilitation of the safe and dignified return of IDPs; and the pursuit of accountability for grave violations of human rights and humanitarian law.
Your Excellency,
The letter issued by the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs represents a dangerous inversion of reality an attempt to portray the aggressor as the victim and the victims as the aggressor. It is our sincere hope that the international community will not allow this crucial peace process to falter. The people and leadership of Tigray have demonstrated extraordinary patience and commitment to peace under extremely difficult conditions. What is now required is renewed international engagement to rebuild the eroded trust between the parties and to revive the spirit of cooperation and reconciliation that inspired the Pretoria Agreement.
Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of our highest consideration.
Debretsion G/Michael /P.H.D/ Chairman of Tigray People’s Liberation Front ation Front
• H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf – Chairperson, African Union Commission’s liberation
• H.E. Kaja Kallas – High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, European Union
• The Hon. Marco Rubio – Secretary of State, United States of America
• The Rt. Hon. Yvette Cooper MP Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, United Kingdom
• The Hon. Volker Türk – United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
• Ms. Joyce Msuya – Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, OCHA
• H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo, AU High Representative of Horn of Africa and former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
• H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta, former President of the Republic of Kenya and member of the High-level panel
• H.E. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, former Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa and member of the High-level panel
• H.E. Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu, Executive Director of IGAD
• H.E. Annetth Weber, EU Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa
• H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs
