Ethiopia's TPLF party says ban 'serious threat' to peace process

Ethiopia's leading opposition party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), on Thursday called a directive by the Election Commission banning it from any political activity a "serious threat" to the peace process.

The TPLF led a revolution that overthrew the oppressive Derg government in 1991 and then ruled the Ethiopia up until 2018 when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took power and effectively sidelined the party.

It fought a brutal civil war against the federal government from 2020 and 2022 that cost some 600,000 lives.

In a letter to the African Union, the TPLF urged the AU to pile "pressure" on the Ethiopian government to "suspend" the enforcement of the ban.

Formal deregistration

It said the decision "denies the TPLF a right it had reclaimed through the Pretoria Agreement and poses a serious threat to the foundation of the peace process."

Although a peace deal signed in Pretoria ended the war in November 2022, there has been frustration in the Tigray region at the failure to implement its terms, including the return of some one million people displaced by the war.

The party, which dominated Ethiopian politics for some 30 years, was on Wednesday "formally deregistered" for failing to hold a general assembly.

The decision follows months of political tensions in the northern region of Tigray and comes ahead of elections that are due to take place in Ethiopia by June 2026 at the latest.

TPLF can apply for re-registration

The TPLF had already been suspended for three months in February and warned of deregistration if it did not take "corrective action" within three months.

It can still apply for re-registration for the 2026 polls.

In-fighting within the TPLF led to clashes earlier this year and the removal of the regional leader, Getachew Reda, who has since joined the federal government.

Relations have also deteriorated between Ethiopia and Eritrea, which shares a long border with Tigray.