Addis Ababa, June 18, 2026 (FMC) — The significance of the latest U.S. visa restrictions targeting hardline members of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), according to Getachew Reda, Advisor to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia on East Africa Affairs and former President of the Tigray Interim Administration, lies not in the measures themselves, but in Washington’s decision to place responsibility for escalating tensions in northern Ethiopia on the camp led by Debretsion Gebremichael.
Getachew stated that the U.S. government’s position represents a significant political message regarding the source of instability in the region.
“The importance of the visa restriction doesn’t lie in the restriction itself, but in the fact that the U.S. government has put the blame for rising tension in Ethiopia on the DT camp,” Getachew stated.
The U.S. government recently announced visa restrictions against individuals it says are undermining peace and stability in northern Ethiopia.
Getachew underscored that the measures specifically identify TPLF hardliners associated with Debretsion as contributing to growing tensions in Tigray.
He further argued that the move should also be viewed as a warning to actors allegedly collaborating with those elements, including the regime of Isaias Afwerki, as reported by local news agency ENA.
“It also alludes to the State Department’s sanctions against hardliners as an implicit warning to any parties that may be collaborating with them, including President Isaias Afwerki’s regime,” Getachew noted.
The remarks follow a statement by U.S. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott, who warned that increasing tensions between TPLF hardliners and the Ethiopian government risk reigniting conflict in northern Ethiopia and threatening broader regional stability.
Pigott noted that members of the Tigray Defense Forces (TDF) and the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) clashed earlier this year, marking the first direct confrontation between the two sides since the end of the devastating 2020–2022 war.
“Hundreds of thousands of civilians across northern Ethiopia have already fled their homes, fearing a return to war,” Pigott said.
The U.S. State Department stressed that Washington remains committed to supporting Ethiopians, including the people of Tigray, who seek to live in peace and security.
It also reaffirmed its intention to use all available tools to promote accountability for individuals and groups deemed responsible for threatening peace and stability in the region.
The latest U.S. action is being interpreted by observers as more than a routine sanctions measure, signaling Washington’s assessment of who bears primary responsibility for renewed tensions that have raised concerns about the durability of the peace process in northern Ethiopia.