Ethiopia's parliament removes Tigray rebel party from terror list

The Ethiopian parliament on Wednesday removed the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), a party of the rebel authorities in the northern Ethiopian region, from the list of terrorist entities, the lower house of the Ethiopian parliament announced.

"The House adopted the decision to remove the terrorist designation of the TPLF by a majority vote," the Ethiopian House of People's Representatives said on its Facebook account.

Long all-powerful, the TPLF, which ruled Ethiopia for three decades before being gradually marginalized with the arrival of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in 2018, was classified as a terrorist by the Ethiopian authorities on May 6, 2021.

An armed conflict opposed it since November 2020 by the federal government, which ended a peace agreement signed last November that provides for the lifting of this terrorist classification.

"During the debates (...), it became clear that removing the terrorist classification from the TPLF was essential for the implementation of the peace agreement reached in Pretoria between the federal government and the TPLF," the lower house said.

It did not specify the number of votes in favor but noted that 61 MPs voted against and five abstained.

In accordance with the peace agreement, fighting has stopped, basic services (electricity, telecommunications, banks, etc.) have begun to be restored in Tigray and access to the region has been reopened.

The lifting of the TPLF's terrorist designation paves the way for the establishment of an interim administration in Tigray, headed by the TPLF.