TPLF Had Been Preparing for War: PM Abiy

Addis Ababa, October 20, 2026 (ENA) — The defunct TPLF had been preparing for another round of war, violating the Pretoria Agreement, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed revealed.

During an interview with the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC), he said the TPLF violated the Pretoria Agreement signed in October 2022.

The PM recalled that the key elements of the Pretoria Agreement included cessation of hostilities, restoration of all services, disarmament, return of displaced people, and recognition of the constitutional order.

The federal government had fulfilled everything that was possible and expected of it, he added.

On the contrary, the TPLF had been purchasing and soliciting weapons as well as openly recruiting young people instead of implementing the agreement to disarm combatants.

Above all, PM Abiy pointed out that after the agreement, the TPLF used displaced persons as hostages to prevent them from returning to their homes.

Additionally, it engaged in destroying and closing down infrastructure—including airlines, banking, and telecommunications—that had been restored by the Federal Government to deliver services.

Despite the group’s misdeeds, the PM stated that the government had forewarned that war was not worthwhile and that peace was preferable.

However, the TPLF disregarded the advice and collaborated with various forces, and violated the Pretoria Agreement by initiating an unnecessary war.

Immense damage has been inflicted on the public as a result of the war instigated by the TPLF, he noted.

War is bad and yields no benefit, the Premier further noted, adding that a war fought for the interests of foreign forces is even worse.

The psychological damage is not to be taken lightly and damage has also been inflicted on development and the economy.

PM Abiy stressed that young people carrying Kalashnikovs should therefore return to work and participate in the development and rehabilitation of Tigray.

Noting that many young people were forcibly recruited, he advised those who have not yet returned to return to normal life.

He stated that the leaders of the TPLF have been declaring war for 50 years without dying or being wounded themselves; instead they sent their children and families abroad and to Addis Ababa where they are engaged in business and construction.

The youth of Tigray deserve to live and change their lives, rather than dying and suffering for them, the Premier added.

He urged Tigrayan youth to avoid war and instead dedicate their physical and mental energy to development.

Young people's daily lives should be spent in universities, businesses, agriculture, and factories.

"Instead of pulling a trigger, your fingers should be on a computer. Lay down your Kalashnikov and return to development," PM Abiy advised.

The Prime Minister also stated that the TPLF lacked principles. Although it presented itself as a popular movement in its rhetoric, its actions were anti-people.

He argued that the TPLF could not bring about meaningful change because it had allied itself with anti-people forces.

The TPLF is cooperating with forces that do not recognize the Constitution in an effort to dismantle the very Constitution that it claimed to have established.