Ethiopia

Ethiopian opposition leader urges Tigray's reintegration for lasting peace

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed meets the country's Council of Ministers on March 5, 2024. (Photo: PM Ethiopia)

By Mwangi Maina | Monday, July 1, 2024

Jawar stresses that a critical issue remains unaddressed: the political settlement and reintegration of Tigray into the Ethiopian federation.

Prominent Ethiopian opposition leader Jawar Mohammed has raised concerns about gaps in the political settlement and Tigray’s reintegration following the Pretoria Agreement, highlighting the elusive path to lasting peace in the Horn of Africa country.

In November 2022, Ethiopia’s federal government, led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and the rebellious authorities of Tigray agreed to a ceasefire during talks in South Africa after two years of bloodshed and atrocities that killed hundreds of thousands of people.

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“It is encouraging to see that IDPs displaced due to the Tigray war have finally begun returning to their homes. Combined with the re-registration of the TPLF as a political party, this signals a significant improvement in relations between the federal and Tigray regional governments,” Jawar said in a post on X.

He stressed, however, that a critical issue remains unaddressed: the political settlement and reintegration of Tigray into the Ethiopian federation.

Sustaining Peace in Tigray
It is encouraging to see that IDPs displaced due to the Tigray war have finally begun returning to their homes. Combined with the re-registration of the TPLF as a political party, this signals a significant improvement in relations between the federal…
— Jawar Mohammed (@Jawar_Mohammed) July 1, 2024

Since the end of the war, the focus has been on improving humanitarian access and addressing contested territories.

Yet both sides, according to the media mogul-turned-politician, seem to be avoiding the core issue that led to the conflict: Tigray's status within the federation.

Jawar says the reintegration of Tigrayan civilian and military elites into the political fabric of Ethiopia is essential for lasting peace and that without this, peace may remain elusive.

Over the past four decades, Tigray has produced numerous administrative technocrats, diplomats, and security personnel whose skills were meant for federal and international institutions.

Following the 2018 political transition, many of these elites left their federal and international positions and returned to Tigray.

The war-ravaged Ethiopian region, however, cannot utilise their skills effectively, leading to frustration and exacerbating factionalism.

Jawar warns, "Unless addressed, such scenarios can hamper the elite cohesion needed for post-war recovery.

In the long run, it could result in the resumption of war due to "intra-ethnic nationalist outbidding among personalities and factions.”

To prevent this, he urges the Tigrayan leadership to push for serious negotiations towards a political settlement that would pave the way for reintegration.

This reintegration is not only crucial for Tigray but also for the federal government.

Tigrayan elites, the opposition leader says, bring valuable skills and expertise that can strengthen Ethiopia's security, administrative, and diplomatic capacity.

Their inclusion into the federal framework will also alleviate fears of a sudden resumption of war, Jawar also noted.

He called for third-party mediators who brokered the peace agreement, along with the public, to encourage both sides to urgently begin negotiations towards reintegration.