Addis Ababa, March 23 (IANS) The House of Peoples’ Representatives (HoPR) of Ethiopia has removed the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) from its terrorism blacklist.
The HoPR, the lower house of the Ethiopian parliament, which designated the TPLF as a terrorist organization in May 2021, made the decision to remove the designation in an extraordinary session on Wednesday.
Some members of the Ethiopian parliament had expressed their concern over the revocation of the designation of TPLF as a terrorist organisation, questioning the TPLF’s willingness to become a peaceful actor in the process, Xinhua news agency reported.
Ethiopian Minister of Justice, Gedion Timothewos, told members of the parliament that the group has been taking “positive measures” that have served as a ground for the revocation of its designation.
He said the TPLF has been recently contributing to the national efforts for peace.
According to the motion presented to the HoPR, the move is in support of the positive efforts that are underway to bring lasting peace to Ethiopia.
The peace efforts came on the backdrop of a two-year brutal conflict that left tens of thousands dead and millions more in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.
On November 2, 2022, the Ethiopian government and the TPLF signed a cessation of hostilities agreement to end the conflict.
The two parties in the Ethiopian conflict have formally agreed to the cessation of hostilities and orderly disarmament. The deal includes restoring law and order, restoring services and unhindered access to humanitarian supplies, he said.
According to the Justice Minister, the TPLF’s willingness to disarm and demobilise its combatants have been positive steps taken by the TPLF based on the Pretoria Peace Agreement.
–IANS
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