Getachew Reda, left, and Debretsion Gebremichael, during the presser yesterday. Photo: Screenshot collage/AddisStandard
Addis Abeba – In a joint statement given to local media in Mekelle, the capital of Tigray state, on Friday, Getachew Reda, President of Tigray Interim Administration, and Debretsion Gebremichael (PhD), Chairman of Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) vowed to work jointly to fight against maladministration and widespread corruption in the region, enhance accountability, and conduct a comprehensive reform within both the Interim Administration and the TPLF.
The two top leaders of the regional state said that the recent evaluation and performance assessment conducted by the TPLF Central Committee was the first stage that laid the foundation for continued evaluations to bring about a comprehensive reform within the party.
They were referring to the week-long evaluation held last week, TPLF CC discussed the overall current situation in the region, and admitted that “internal weaknesses” within the party has exacerbated the current situations in the region. “The party and its leadership assessed and examined the fundamental leadership weaknesses internally, comprehended [with] the dangers and reached at a consensus to continue evaluating its internal situation to strengthening its unity by examining its ideology, programs, and making the necessary adjustments,” the CC said.
The CC also called up on the full implementation of the cessation of hostilities agreement signed in Pretoria, South Africa on 02 November 2022, between the Ethiopian federal government and the TPLF followed by on the “Declaration on the Modalities for the Implementation of the Pretoria agreement”, which was signed in Nairobi, Kenya, on 12 November.
In the presser yesterday, TPLF Chairman Debretsion said that the party will make a comprehensive adjustment including amending the laws, programs, strategies and policies to enable the party to along with the current developments in the region.
“The party will work in collaboration with the Interim Administration to bring the perpetrators of injustice to justice and strengthening and supporting the Interim Administration to shoulder its responsibilities, which is above all the very mission of the party,” Debretsion added. The TPLF has reiterated that the fundamental cause of the war was “political”, and that it should be “resolved through political dialogue,” Debretsion said.
In addition to the promise to continue joint works to bring about comprehensive reforms, including a crusade against widespread corruption at all levels, Getachew on his part promised to work with the federal government to ensure the release of a large number of Tigrayans who are in various prisons after they were held in connection with the two-year war. “Despite the release of some prisoners, thousands of Tigrayans are still behind the bars in the Amhara region and other areas of the country that we have been receiving information about the prisoners including lists of their names compelling us to conduct further dialogue with the federal government,” Getachew said.
The devastating two-year war in the Tigray region has claimed the lives of a large number of martyrs in the region, Getachew said, and added that works were underway to have complete documentations of all the details including the names of the martyrs and their birthplaces. The regional state will declare a region-wide mourning event sometime next week in order to honor their scarifies in a coordinated and well planned manner.
TPLF legal status
With regard to the decision by the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) rejecting the registration of TPLF as a political party, the leaders said that it was as erroneous decision that should be resolved only through political means and that need to be done soon to enable the party play its positive roles in sustaining peaceful environment in the country.
On 13 May this year, NEBE declined to reinstate TPLF’s registration as a legal political party arguing that there are no provisions in Proclamation number 1162/2019 to restore the legal status of the party.
Both the Interim Administration and the TPLF have rejected the decision at the time but as of now, the NEBE has not revised its stand. Getachew underscored yesterday that “the denial of the legality recognition for TPLF will severely hamper the work of the Interim Administration and at large the implementation of the CoHA.”
The House of People’s Representatives, the country’s highest legislature, has removed the TPLF from terrorist organization designation the TPLF said, and pointed out that there were no grounds for Election Board, itself established by a legislation of parliament, to deny legal status to the party. AS
