Mekelle — Tigray interim administration has urged the federal government to ensure the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and the protection of Tigray's territorial integrity strictly through the implementation of the Pretoria Agreement.
In a statement the bureau of communication affairs of Tigray issued late Tuesday, the Bureau said the "return of IDPs and the security of Tigray's territorial land will be achieved only through the Pretoria Agreement," accusing the federal government of delaying the full execution of the deal signed three years ago to end the two-year devastating war.
The Bureau said any move by the federal government to "ignore the Pretoria Agreement and return IDPs on its own without the consent of the people, the Tigray Interim Administration, or the negotiating bodies is unacceptable." It called on the international community and mediators of the Pretoria peace process to ensure the safe and dignified return of displaced persons, who, it said, "have been suffering for five years in torn kendas under harsh weather conditions."
The statement came after federal and regional officials held discussions in Humera on plans to facilitate the return of displaced people "in a manner that promotes peace and public unity," according to a 26 October 2025 report by local media.
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Participants in the meeting reportedly included Mohammed Idris, Minister of Peace; Getachew Reda, the Prime Minister's Advisor for East African Affairs; officials from the Wolkait Tegede Setit Humera Zone; and members of the Wolkait Tegede Amhara Border and Identity Reclamation Committee. The officials emphasized that while the return of innocent citizens is necessary, individuals accused of committing crimes against the public "must be held legally accountable."
Earlier, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) has accused the federal government of "political deception" and of failing to implement key provisions of the Pretoria Agreement regarding the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Western Tigray.
On August 2025 Lt. Gen. Tadesse Werede, President of Tigray's Interim Administration, has warned that attempts to facilitate the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to Western Tigray without resolving constitutional questions and working behind the administration risk reigniting conflict.
Speaking at the opening of the Ashenda festival in Mekelle, Lt. Gen. Tadesse Werede accused "some of our brothers" of attempting to push through a unilateral return process without the involvement of the Interim Administration. He warned that such moves "are against the interests of the people of Tigray" and risk undermining the region's constitutional territory and plunging it back into war.
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Furthermore, the Tigray opposition party, Salsay Weyane Tigray, also accused the federal government of neglecting its responsibility to ensure the safe and voluntary return of Tigrayan internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees while allowing individuals implicated in crimes against humanity to continue exercising authority in Western Tigray.
