“The erosion of trust is now palpable”: TPLF warns of threat to Pretoria peace agreement

The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) has written to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, expressing concern over what it calls the Ethiopian government’s “diminishing commitment” to the Pretoria peace agreement — the deal that ended the two-year war in northern Ethiopia.

In a letter dated October 29, 2025, the TPLF said remarks made by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed before Ethiopia’s Parliament on October 28 cast doubt on the federal government’s recognition of the TPLF as a legitimate party to the agreement signed in November 2022.

According to the group, the Prime Minister’s claim that the peace deal was negotiated with individuals rather than the TPLF as an organization “carries grave legal and political implications for the integrity of the Pretoria Agreement and the peace process as a whole.”

“It is deeply regrettable that the promise of peace and reconciliation has waned,” the letter read. “The prevailing atmosphere of mistrust and uncertainty stems largely from the non-implementation of key provisions of the Agreement and from what appears to be a diminishing commitment by the federal government.”

The letter warned that the Prime Minister’s interpretation “nullifies the recognized counterpart acknowledged by the African Union and the international community during the negotiation and signing of the Agreement.” The group urged the AU, UN, and international partners to reaffirm the legal continuity of the Pretoria deal and press Addis Ababa to “engage constructively with the Tigray regional authorities.”

“The erosion of trust between the parties is now palpable,” the letter said, adding that unilateral actions or selective implementation “endangers not only Ethiopia’s internal cohesion but also the credibility of regional and international peace frameworks.”

The AU-brokered Pretoria Agreement halted a brutal two-year conflict that killed as many as several hundred thousand people and displaced millions across northern Ethiopia.

Tensions between the federal government and the TPLF have intensified in recent months. In late September, the TPLF accused the federal government of “silent genocide,” prompting a new wave of political confrontation.

Earlier in October, Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister, Gedion Timothewos, formally accused Eritrea and the TPLF of forming a military alliance codenamed “Tsimdo” to launch a new war against Ethiopia, claiming that “collusion between the Eritrean government and the hardliner faction of the TPLF has become more evident” and that they are “actively preparing to wage war against Ethiopia.”

In his letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Gedion also alleged that the two parties are “funding, mobilizing, and directing armed groups such as Fano” — including involvement in a recent offensive on Woldiya — and called Eritrea “the main architect of these nefarious activities,” accusing it of seeking to “destabilize and fragment Ethiopia.”

In remarks addressing the security situation, Abiy warned that any attempt to remove the federal government by force “will never succeed,” and accused TPLF of diverting federal budget funds toward “insurgency” instead of reconstruction. He said Tigray “needs development” and called for peaceful cooperation to ensure progress in the war-affected region.

The latest accusations come amid growing warnings of renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia. Many fear that a collapse of the Pretoria Agreement could reignite a broader conflict at a time when the country is already grappling with ongoing insurgencies in both the Amhara and Oromia regions. More than two million Ethiopians remain internally displaced, with the situation most severe in the northern regions of Tigray and Amhara, as well as parts of Oromia in central Ethiopia.