Ethiopia.. Parliament approves removal of Tigray Liberation Front from terrorism list

Ethiopia's parliament has approved the removal of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) from the terrorist list as one of the provisions of the Pretoria Peace Agreement signed between the government and the TPLF last November.

Most of the 547 lawmakers voted to remove the Front, the dominant political party in the northern Tigray region, from the terrorism list, with 61 MPs against and 5 abstentions, according to the state-run Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation.

The move comes days after the Front announced the formation of a transitional government for the region and the appointment of a new president.

"The House of Representatives approved the decision to cancel the designation of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) on the terrorist list by a majority vote," the parliament said in a statement posted on Facebook, adding that the move would consolidate the peace agreement between the TPLF and the federal government.

Under the parliament's decision, the Tigray Front will return to politics and federal government institutions, lift the ban on affiliated institutions and organizations, and release its detainees from prisons.

Pretoria Peace Agreement

Under the terms of the peace deal signed in South Africa's capital Pretoria, the TPLF agreed to disarm in exchange for access to Tigray, which was largely cut off from its periphery during the war.

Since the deal, deliveries of some basic needs and aid have resumed to Tigray, a country of 6 million people, which has faced severe shortages of food, fuel, cash and medicine.

The Tigray Liberation Front (TPLF) dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades before current Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office in 3.

The Tigray conflict began in late 2020, and the government accused the Front of starting the conflict by attacking a military base in the Tigray region, while the Front accused the federal government of preparing to launch a strike first.

As a result of the conflict, the Front was officially designated as a terrorist organization in May 2021, six months after the war began.

The peace deal signed in November 2022 led to the return of communications, banking and other essential services that were cut off from the Tigray region of more than 5 million people.

Ethiopia is now facing a $20 billion post-conflict reconstruction bill, Anadolu Agency reported.