Ethiopia removes ‘terrorist’ tag from Tigray regional party

Ethiopia’s parliament on Wednesday removed the dominant party in the Tigray region from a list of “terrorist organisations”, a significant step towards establishing an interim regional government following the end of a two-year civil war.

The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which led the northern region into war with the federal government in late 2020, was designated a “terrorist” group in May 2021.

“The house has approved the decision to lift the TPLF’s terrorist designation with a majority vote,” the parliament said on Facebook.

The move, supported by most of the country’s politicians, will strengthen the November 2022 peace deal between the TPLF and the federal government, it said.

The deal ended the conflict in which tens of thousands of people were killed and millions were forced from their homes.

The delisting is a prerequisite to the TPLF’s participation in an interim regional government, which the party nominated its spokesman, Getachew Reda, last week to lead.

Getachew did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.