From Hope of Peace to Renewed Suffering: The Defunct TPLF’s Continued Grip on Youth in Tigray Region

Addis Ababa, July 24, 2026 (FMC) — The Pretoria Peace Agreement brought renewed hope for peacefully ending the devastating conflict in northern Ethiopia, opening a path toward recovery, stability and the restoration of normal life.

However, that hope continues to face setbacks as the defunct TPLF persists in actions that undermine peace efforts and hinder the people of Tigray region from fully rebuilding their lives.

The defunct TPLF group has continued pursuing a destructive political agenda by using the youth in Tigray region as instruments to serve its interests and sustain instability.

Having repeatedly placed narrow political ambitions above the interests of the people, the group has subjected communities to prolonged suffering and obstructed efforts aimed at restoring peace, stability and development in the region.

Rather than allowing the youth in Tigray region to become a driving force for recovery, education and economic progress, the group continues to drag them back into conflict, threatening their future and denying them opportunities to contribute to the rebuilding of their communities.

The group’s continued efforts to mobilize young people for conflict demonstrate its failure to embrace peaceful political engagement and its persistence in maintaining a cycle of instability, the government said.

The obsolete TPLF has also continued attempts to align itself with destabilizing forces inside and outside Ethiopia, creating additional challenges to national peace, sovereignty and development.

Commenting on the issue, Arena Party Chairman Amdom Gebreselassie said the group has demonstrated through its actions that it cannot adapt to an environment of peace and lacks the political culture required to resolve differences through dialogue.

According to Amdom, the group has violated the spirit of the Pretoria Peace Agreement by continuing activities aimed at drawing young people in Tigray region into military training despite growing demands from communities, including parents and youth, for an end to conflict.

He further accused the group of working with illegal groups outside Ethiopia and exposing young people to destructive activities that threaten their future.

Amdom called on the parties that signed the Pretoria Peace Agreement and the international community to exert the necessary diplomatic pressure to ensure the full implementation of the accord and prevent any actions that could reverse the gains made toward peace.

Similarly, Habtu Kiros, Deputy President of the Sile Democracy Party, said unlawful practices and human rights violations have created a difficult situation in Tigray region.

He said the group has imposed its own rules on communities, undermining citizens’ dignity, restricting young people’s ability to shape their own future and keeping alive a culture of conflict.

Habtu said the youth in Tigray region have become victims of political exploitation, with families forced to endure suffering while many young people have been pushed to flee their homes in search of safety.

He stressed that the people of Tigray region cannot continue carrying the heavy historical and moral burden created by prolonged conflict, calling for strengthened efforts to support peace, recovery and stability.

The Ethiopian government reaffirmed that all stakeholders must continue supporting the implementation of the Pretoria Peace Agreement and work together to protect the peace gains achieved so far, while preventing attempts to drag the region and the country back into conflict.