Latest news with #TPLF
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tigray party says ban threatens Ethiopia peace deal
Ethiopia's main opposition party has called for the African Union to mediate with the federal government after the electoral board revoked its legal status as a party. The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) said the move to ban it from any political activity was "dangerous" and posed a "serious threat" to the 2022 deal that ended two years of conflict in the northern Tigray region. The party, which governs Tigray and dominated the entire country for many years, was on Wednesday banned for failing to hold a general assembly. The decision follows months of political tensions in Tigray and comes ahead of nationwide elections that are due to take place by June next year at the latest. The party led a coalition that staged a 1991 coup and ruled Ethiopia until 2018 when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took power. It fought a brutal two-year civil war against the federal government that ended with a truce signed in November 2022 after tens of thousands of people were killed and millions forced from their homes in northern Ethiopia. 'No-one can handle another war' - Tigrayans fear fresh Ethiopian conflict The party runs Tigray's interim administration which was established in 2023 as part of the peace deal, known as the Pretoria peace agreement. But the party has been unable to conduct internal elections because of a split, with two factions laying claim to control of the party. The National Election Board of Ethiopia, which supervises the conduct of political parties, on Wednesday "resolved to formally deregister" the TPLF on the grounds that it had failed to hold a general assembly. But the party has protested against the move and called on the African Union to put "pressure" on the federal government to suspend the enforcement of the ban. In a letter to the AU, the party said the ban "denies the TPLF a right it had reclaimed through the Pretoria Agreement and poses a serious threat to the foundation of the peace process". It added that the peace deal stipulated that both parties recognise each other's legitimacy and any political issue should be resolved through dialogue. TPLF deputy chairman Ammanuel Assefa told the BBC that the decision by the electoral board could "damage the Pretoria agreement" which "is going to be dangerous". "This isn't just about TPLF, but also about undermining what people have sacrificed," Ammanuel added. Delays in implementing the terms of the agreement, including the return of some one million people displaced by the war, have fuelled fears of fresh violence in Tigray. Several countries including the US, UK and the European Union have warned about the escalating tension, saying there must be "no return to violence". 'I lost my leg on the way home from school' How war has hurt Ethiopia's Olympic hopes How a massacre in the sacred city of Aksum unfolded Why Ethiopia is so alarmed by an Egypt-Somalia alliance Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Africa Daily Focus on Africa
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
TPLF says Ethiopia ban threatens Tigray peace deal
Ethiopia's main opposition party has called for the African Union to mediate with the federal government after the electoral board revoked its legal status as a Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) said the move to ban it from any political activity was "dangerous" and posed a "serious threat" to the 2022 deal that ended two years of conflict in the northern Tigray party, which Tigray and dominated the entire country for many years, was on Wednesday banned for failing to hold a general decision follows months of political tensions in Tigray and comes ahead of nationwide elections that are due to take place by June next year at the latest. The party led a coalition that staged a 1991 coup and ruled Ethiopia until 2018 when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took power. It fought a brutal two-year civil war against the federal government that ended with a truce signed in November 2022 after tens of thousands of people were killed and millions forced from their homes in northern Ethiopia.'No-one can handle another war' - Tigrayans fear fresh Ethiopian conflictThe party runs Tigray's interim administration which was established in 2023 as part of the peace deal, known as the Pretoria peace agreement. But the party has been unable to conduct internal elections because of a split, with two factions laying claim to control of the National Election Board of Ethiopia, which supervises the conduct of political parties, on Wednesday "resolved to formally deregister" the TPLF on the grounds that it had failed to hold a general the party has protested against the move and called on the African Union to put "pressure" on the federal government to suspend the enforcement of the a letter to the AU, the party said the ban "denies the TPLF a right it had reclaimed through the Pretoria Agreement and poses a serious threat to the foundation of the peace process".It added that the peace deal stipulated that both parties recognise each other's legitimacy and any political issue should be resolved through deputy chairman Ammanuel Assefa told the BBC that the decision by the electoral board could "damage the Pretoria agreement" which "is going to be dangerous". "This isn't just about TPLF, but also about undermining what people have sacrificed," Ammanuel added. Delays in implementing the terms of the agreement, including the return of some one million people displaced by the war, have fuelled fears of fresh violence in Tigray. Several countries including the US, UK and the European Union have warned about the escalating tension, saying there must be "no return to violence". More on Ethiopia's civil war: 'I lost my leg on the way home from school'How war has hurt Ethiopia's Olympic hopesHow a massacre in the sacred city of Aksum unfoldedWhy Ethiopia is so alarmed by an Egypt-Somalia alliance Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
eNCA
14-05-2025
- Politics
- eNCA
Ethiopia bans historic Tigrayan opposition party
TIGRAY - A leading opposition party that dominated Ethiopian politics for decades has been banned from any political activity, the Election Commission said Wednesday, ahead of national elections due next year. The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) has roots that go back a long way in national politics. It led the 1991 revolution that toppled the authoritarian Derg regime and ruled until 2018, when current prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, took power and effectively sidelined the party. In 2020, the TPLF's home region of Tigray in northern Ethiopia erupted in a vicious two-year conflict against the federal government that ultimately claimed some 600,000 lives. A peace accord in November 2022 has failed to address many issues stemming from the war. The TPLF, now in opposition, has been roiled by internal divisions in recent months, resulting in violent clashes in Tigray and the removal of the regional leader, Getachew Reda. In a statement on Wednesday, the Election Commission's board said it had "resolved to formally deregister" the party on the grounds that it had failed to hold a general assembly. The decision comes as Ethiopia prepares for elections to be held by June 2026 at the latest. The TPLF had already been suspended for three months in February and warned of deregistration if it did not take "corrective action" within three months. The TPLF can still apply for re-registration for the 2026 polls. TPLF senior leadership did not immediately respond to AFP's requests for comment. - Changing status - Although the peace deal ended the war in November 2022, there has been frustration in Tigray at the failure to implement its terms, including the return of some one million people displaced by the war. The TPLF first lost its party status at the end of 2020 when hostilities broke out, only regaining recognition after the peace deal. It was considered a terrorist entity by federal forces while the war continued. Political analysts were not surprised by the latest decision, but said the consequences remain to be seen. "This is pushing TPLF to reconsider their relationship with the federal government," said Horn of Africa specialist Kjetil Tronvoll. He told AFP the move could push the party into "reconsidering new alliances with other political actors in Ethiopia and the region". That was a reference to neighbouring Eritrea, which has had fraught relations with Ethiopia since gaining independence in 1993. Although the two countries fought together against the Tigrayans in the 2020-22 war, tensions have again resurfaced in its aftermath, with some analysts fearing they are preparing for renewed conflict.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Video of 2020 Beirut port explosion misrepresented as Huthi missile attack on Israel
'Breaking: Huthi missile attack has reached Israeli city and caused destruction,' reads a post published on April 28, 2025, in Afaan Oromoo, one of Ethiopia's major languages. A 34-second clip shows a massive explosion in the middle of a city and plumes of smoke. A YouTube link included in the post leads to an unrelated video speculating about preparations for war in northern Ethiopia. 'Reports show that a new war is starting in northern Ethiopia. The TPLF group is aligned with the Fano fighters and Eritrea to fight against the Ethiopian government,' says the narrator in the YouTube video. TPLF is the Tigray People's Liberation Front, a paramilitary group that fought against the Ethiopian government before a peace deal was signed in South Africa in November 2022. Fano is a militia from the Amhara region, where it has been fighting against government forces since July 2023. The narrator claims weapons are flowing to Tigray from war-torn Sudan while the Ethiopian government is recruiting new conscripts. Photos of Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and TPLF leaders are seen on the screen while the narrator speaks. A similar post was shared here on Facebook. Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebel forces have launched missile and drone attacks against Israel since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023 (archived here). On April 27, 2025, The Times of Israel reported that the militant group fired a ballistic missile at Israel, which the Israeli military said was intercepted before reaching its territory (archived here). A week later, though, one of the projectiles slipped through and struck inside the perimeter of Israel's main Ben Gurion Airport (archived here). However, the video does not show an Israeli city destroyed by Huthi missiles. AFP Fact Check used the video verification tool InVID-WeVerify to conduct reverse image searches on keyframes from the video. The search results indicated that the video was published on Instagram in December 2024 (archived here). View this post on Instagram A post shared by Woww7759 (@woww7759) The description that accompanied the video indicates that it showed a massive Beirut explosion that occurred on August 4, 2020. The video was also shared on Facebook and TikTok (archived here and here). The massive chemical blast that devastated Beirut on August 4, 2020 killed more than 170 people and injured over 6,500. The explosion occurred in a warehouse in the port of Beirut and ravaged the capital, sparking unprecedented public outrage at the time (archived here). AFP Fact Check matched features in the video to the location on Google Maps, including the church of Saint George Maronite Cathedral in Beirut (archived here). Saint George Maronite Cathedral is about four kilometres from the port in Beirut. At the time, conspiracy theories about the blast were spread on social media, including the alleged depiction of the disaster as a missile attack (archived here). There have been no news reports about the purported destruction of an Israeli city in the wake of a Huthi missile attack. AFP Fact Check has previously debunked several claims related to the Beirut blast here, here and here.
AFP
09-05-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Video of 2020 Beirut port explosion misrepresented as Huthi missile attack on Israel
'Breaking: Huthi missile attack has reached Israeli city and caused destruction,' reads a post published on April 28, 2025, in Afaan Oromoo, one of Ethiopia's major languages. Image Screenshot of the false post, taken May 6, 2025 A 34-second clip shows a massive explosion in the middle of a city and plumes of smoke. A YouTube link included in the post leads to an unrelated video speculating about preparations for war in northern Ethiopia. 'Reports show that a new war is starting in northern Ethiopia. The TPLF group is aligned with the Fano fighters and Eritrea to fight against the Ethiopian government,' says the narrator in the YouTube video. TPLF is the Tigray People's Liberation Front, a paramilitary group that fought against the Ethiopian government before a peace deal was signed in South Africa in November 2022. Fano is a militia from the Amhara region, where it has been fighting against government forces since July 2023. The narrator claims weapons are flowing to Tigray from war-torn Sudan while the Ethiopian government is recruiting new conscripts. Photos of Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and TPLF leaders are seen on the screen while the narrator speaks. A similar post was shared here on Facebook. Huthi attack Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebel forces have launched missile and drone attacks against Israel since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023 (archived here). On April 27, 2025, The Times of Israel reported that the militant group fired a ballistic missile at Israel, which the Israeli military said was intercepted before reaching its territory (archived here). A week later, though, one of the projectiles slipped through and struck inside the perimeter of Israel's main Ben Gurion Airport (archived here). However, the video does not show an Israeli city destroyed by Huthi missiles. Beirut blast AFP Fact Check used the video verification tool InVID-WeVerify to conduct reverse image searches on keyframes from the video. The search results indicated that the video was published on Instagram in December 2024 (archived here). The description that accompanied the video indicates that it showed a massive Beirut explosion that occurred on August 4, 2020. The video was also shared on Facebook and TikTok (archived here and here). The massive chemical blast that devastated Beirut on August 4, 2020 killed more than 170 people and injured over 6,500. The explosion occurred in a warehouse in the port of Beirut and ravaged the capital, sparking unprecedented public outrage at the time (archived here). AFP Fact Check matched features in the video to the location on Google Maps, including the church of Saint George Maronite Cathedral in Beirut (archived here). Saint George Maronite Cathedral is about four kilometres from the port in Beirut. Image Comparison of screenshots from Google Maps (left) and the footage, taken on May 6, 2025 At the time, conspiracy theories about the blast were spread on social media, including the alleged depiction of the disaster as a missile attack (archived here). There have been no news reports about the purported destruction of an Israeli city in the wake of a Huthi missile attack. AFP Fact Check has previously debunked several claims related to the Beirut blast here, here and here.
