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· The Ethiopian parliament classified the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) as a terrorist organization
· The party (TPLF) has long dominated Ethiopian politics and ruled the Tigray region
· The resolution was unanimously passed by ruling party MPs. The Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) is also a signatory to the endorsement
The Ethiopian parliament classified the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) as a terrorist organization. The party (TPLF) has longdominated Ethiopia n politics and ruled the Tigray region. The resolution was unanimously passed by ruling party MPs. The Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) is also a signatory to the endorsement.
This development -classification of the TPLF as a terrorist entity- will make the peace process more difficult in the Horn of African region. The federal army launched a major military operation to overthrow the regional authorities in the Tigray region.
Ethiopia, however, assured the citizens in the Tigray region that they would not be affected by the decision. The Tigray Information and Communication Centre, which is operating from the U S warned that the measure would lead to mass arrests and give the government more room to persecute Tigrayans.
The conflict, which attracted serious international attention , has created many humanitarian challenges. Many died in the bloody conflicts and several thousands fled the country to safer places in the neighboring countries like Somalia. Relief camps set up there were inadequate in providing relief works till the UN authorities intervened.
Regional and parliamentary elections are scheduled for June 5 in Ethiopia. It is the first since Mr. Abiy Ahmed came to power as President. Abiy will seek to consolidate his power by gaining legitimacy at the ballot box, though there are stiff resistances from within for the poster boy of Africa’s reforms. There are comments from the international community that Abiy now is an ally of China rather than the West, presumably after the US took a stance pro Egypt and Sudan in the dam issue, which is built across River Nile.
