Addis Abeba — The Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice Party (Ezema) has criticized the ruling party's latest statement on Ethiopia's political and security situation, accusing the ruling party of "sidestepping" its own failures and showing "a low level of commitment to accountability."
In its statement last week, the Prosperity Party (PP) has accused what it termed "historical enemies" and "internal traitors" of mounting a renewed and coordinated campaign to destabilize Ethiopia.
In a statement issued by its Council at the conclusion of its regular meeting last week, the ruling party alleged that "hostile forces" were now engaged in a "final attempt" to derail the country's trajectory toward peace and prosperity.
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The ruling party, which governs Ethiopia with the top leader of Ezema itself as a member of cabinet minister, further claimed that these actors, "frustrated by the failure of previous efforts" including what it described as "prolonged war plans" which was thwarted by the Pretoria Peace Agreement, have shifted to alternative tactics aimed at "inciting unrest and weakening the state." The party claimed these forces are operating both inside and outside the country.
In a response issued today, Ezema said the Prosperity Party's portrayal of its role in ending the war in the Tigray region and signing the Pretoria Agreement ignored the "collective contribution" of Ethiopians and the governing party's shortcomings in fulfilling the accord's provisions. "The victory against the TPLF was achieved through the cooperation of all Ethiopians, not by the Prosperity Party alone," Ezema stated, adding that failure to implement the agreement as written has fueled renewed instability in Tigray and neighboring areas.
Citing its own prior positions, Ezema recalled its calls for the agreement to be "executed fully and without compromise to Ethiopia's sovereignty", as well as its warnings that the disarmament of Tigrayan forces must be "publicly confirmed to avert renewed conflict".
The party also criticized the ruling party's narrative that external "enemies" were solely responsible for unrest, arguing that the government's own governance failures and lack of transparency have created fertile ground for tensions.
Prosperity Party accused its "enemies" of leveraging "public grievances stemming from good governance problems" as a tool to stir unrest. The fourth is the alleged promotion of "grievous agendas" aimed at fracturing the social and political fabric of the country. "They are using media as a tool for incitement." the statement also adds that digital platforms have become central to spreading what it calls "a vengeful and destructive narrative."
In response, Ezema argued that the ruling party is responsible for preventing such governance failures in the first place. It accused the government of turning public media into partisan platforms, thereby pushing citizens toward alternative - and sometimes incendiary - sources of information. "We have repeatedly called for the freeing of public media from government control and for institutions to operate lawfully and independently," the statement read.
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Ezema stressed that a culture of accountability requires acknowledging weaknesses and taking corrective action, and urged the Prosperity Party to match its stated desire for "peaceful conflict resolution with visible action", establish independent digital systems for citizens to report governance problems, and remove state media from direct political control.
"The consequences of internal party problems will affect the entire country," the party warned, pledging its own readiness to play a constructive role in peace efforts.
