The Ethiopia–Tigray peace agreement, also called the Pretoria Agreement or the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA), is a peace treaty between the government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) that was signed 2 November 2022, wherein both parties agreed to a "permanent cessation of hostilities" to end the Tigray war. The agreement was made effective the next day on 3 November, marking the second anniversary of the war.
Since 2026, with the intensification of tensions between the TPLF and Ethiopian federal forces, the Pretoria Agreement was effectively rendered invalid, with TPLF spokesman Michael Asgedom stating in September 2026 that the agreement was "no longer valid."
Background
Tigray war
The war began in November 2020, in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Primarily a conflict between the Ethiopian government and Eritrea on one side, and the TPLF on the other, the war has been characterized by war crimes, massacres of civilians, accusations of genocide, and a devastating humanitarian crisis.
On 20 December 2021, after the government successfully pushed back an incursion towards Addis Ababa, the TPLF requested a ceasefire. Fighting slowed down, and on 24 March 2022, the Ethiopian government declared "an indefinite humanitarian truce." Both Ethiopia and the TPLF initially agreed to negotiate an official end to the war; in the intervening months, however, relations became increasingly hostile, with both parties accusing each other of having no sincere interest in peace – by late August, peace talks had deteriorated completely, and the war resumed.
Reescalation of the war
Following the collapse of the March–August ceasefire, wartime violence surged to a level not seen in months. Joint Ethiopian–Eritrean forces and the TPLF mobilized hundreds of thousands of troops against each other, displacing 574,000 people, and killing around 100,000 more within the span of a few weeks. By October 2022, the war overall had killed around 385,000 to 600,000 people.
The scale of the violence alarmed international observers, including the United Nations and the African Union, who urged the warring parties to return to peace negotiations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated that "the situation in Ethiopia is spiraling out of control," and many other agencies, scholars and human rights organizations began to warn of a dramatic rise in hate speech against Tigrayans.
New attempts at peace talks
Attempts to renegotiate for a peace deal were attempted throughout September and early October. On 7 September, TPLF chairperson Debretsion Gebremichael sent a letter to the UN making a request for peace. He stated that, if the UN Security Council did not intervene:
"[W]e propose a cessation of hostilities that includes the following four elements:
- An immediate, unconditional and complete lifting of the blockade on essential services.
- Unfettered humanitarian access, including clear and agreed protocols and arrangements to this effect.
- The withdrawal of Eritrean forces from every part of Ethiopian and Tigrayan territory, under international monitoring, to positions in which they can no longer pose any threat to us.
- Return to the constitutionally recognized borders of Tigray as they stood prior to the outbreak of hostilities in November 2020."
On 5 October, both the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan rebel forces accepted an invitation by the AU to have peace talks in South Africa, initially scheduled to take place between 7–8 October. However, talks were soon postponed, reportedly due to a combination of factors, including poor planning, logistical issues, the rapid escalation of fighting, and concerns from the TPLF about not having enough information available on how the talks would be conducted. Eventually, a new date for peace negotiations was set for 25 October, where talks would take place in Pretoria, at South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
Negotiating period
The talks were jointly mediated by AU Horn of Africa envoy and former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, United States Horn of Africa envoy Mike Hammer, and former Deputy-President of South Africa Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. TPLF spokesperson Getachew Reda and Ethiopian national security advisor Redwan Hussien acted as the lead negotiators. Though originally scheduled to last from 25 to 30 October, this was later extended by a few more days.
Hopes that these talks could definitively stop the war were noted as being low; fighting did not appear to slow down, even as peace discussions began, and Eritrean forces, in particular, were reportedly still engaged in the killing of civilians for most of the negotiating period. On 28 October, Ethiopia vocalized their distrust about the motives of unspecified "western entities" during the process, alleging that "unsubstantiated and politically motivated" claims were being made about the war for a "sinister" agenda, that "irresponsible propaganda" from the TPLF was being repeated uncritically, and further stated that "venerable organizations and well-meaning actors could be unwitting participants in this campaign." Still, despite these concerns, negotiations continued.
Conclusion
On 2 November 2022, the Ethiopian federal government and the TPLF released a joint statement, in which they stated that they had "agreed to permanently silence the guns and end the two years of conflict in northern Ethiopia." Obasanjo explained that the agreement will involve a "systematic, orderly, smooth and coordinated disarmament."
Terms of the agreement
The full agreement contains a preamble, and 15 articles, starting with the objectives of the agreement (Article 1), followed by the general principles underlying the ceasefire (Article 2). Article 13 instructs both parties to "implement this Agreement in good faith," and avoid trying to undermine it.
The agreement forbids "all forms of hostilities," both direct and indirect; this includes participating in proxy wars, using hate speech, propaganda, airstrikes or landmines, or collaborating with any hostile "external force" against each other.
Both parties agreed to follow international human rights laws and protect civilians from human rights violations. Specific condemnations were made towards acts of sexual and gender-based violence, violence against children (including the use of child soldiers), violence against women and girls, and violence against the elderly.
The Ethiopian government is to allow humanitarian aid into the country as soon as possible, and reintegrate internally displaced persons and refugees into Ethiopian society, provided it is safe enough to do so. Both parties agreed to cooperate with each other, as well as with humanitarian agencies working to reunite families. Both parties also agreed to not misappropriate aid, and make sure it is actually used for humanitarian purposes.
Ethiopia and the TPLF agreed that an open communication channel should be created "within 24 hours" of signing the agreement. Both parties also needed to recognize that Ethiopia "has only one defense force," that Tigrayan rebel forces should "demobiliz[e] and reintegrat[e]", and that the TPLF must completely disarm within 30 days of signing.
The TPLF agreed to:
- Respect the authority of the government.
- "Refrain from aiding and abetting, supporting, or collaborating with any armed or subversive group in any part of the country."
- Respect the "constitutional mandate of the Federal Government" to send troops and security forces into Tigray.
- Not conscript, train or deploy military forces, or to act in "preparation for conflict."
- Respect Ethiopian sovereignty, and to not undermine it, either on their own, or through "relations with foreign powers."
- Not force a change in the government through unconstitutional means.
Meanwhile, the government agreed to:
- Stop all military operations against "TPLF combatants."
- Restore basic, essential services to Tigray as soon as possible.
- Stop designating the TPLF as a terrorist group.
- Provide unhindered humanitarian access to Tigray.
As part of the agreement, the ENDF will be deployed along the international borders of Ethiopia; the agreement states that they must "safeguard the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security of the country from foreign incursion and ensure that there will be no provocation or incursion from either side of the border."
Federal authorities will also take "full and effective control" of all aviation space, airports and highways in Tigray.
The agreement stipulates that the Ethiopian federal government must be allowed to reestablish authority in the Tigray Region, including in the capital of Mekelle, and that "the ENDF and other relevant Federal Institutions shall have an expeditious, smooth, peaceful, and coordinated entry" into the city. In exchange, government guaranteed that Tigray will be properly represented in government institutions, so as to not violate the Ethiopian constitution.
"Within a week" of the TPLF's terrorist designation being removed – but before elections are held – an "Inclusive Regional Administration" should be established; a week after the removal of the "terrorist" designation, both parties must engage in a political dialogue to "find lasting solutions." Ethiopia also agreed to institute a transitional justice policy that will aim to be accountable and truthful, and give justice to victims.
Additionally, both parties pledged to resolve "issues of contested areas," in a way that complies with the Constitution of Ethiopia.
It was agreed that this process must be monitored and observed by a "Joint Committee," with one representative each from the Ethiopian government, the TPLF and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), all while being presided over by the African Union through a "High-Level Panel."
Implementation
Nairobi Declaration
On 7 November 2022, five days after the agreement was signed, Ethiopian and Tigrayan military officials – primarily, ENDF Chief of Staff Birhanu Jula and Tigray Defence Forces (TDF) Commander-in-Chief Tadesse Werede – met for a new set of talks in Nairobi, Kenya, in order to discuss restoring humanitarian access to the Tigray Region, as well as the process of Tigrayan disarmament. On 12 November, they signed a declaration reaffirming their commitment to the original agreement, laid out the specifics of how to implement it, and agreed to begin the Tigrayan disarmament process on 15 November. Both parties also agreed to create a Joint Committee, per the agreement's rules on "Monitoring, Verification, and Compliance."
Humanitarian access
In the immediate days after the signing of the Pretoria agreement, Tigrayan civilians, international observers and humanitarian organizations expressed a hope that aid would finally be made available in the region. The agreement stated that Ethiopia must "mobilize and expedite humanitarian assistance for all those in need." Within hours of the agreement being signed, UN personnel began talks with Ethiopian officials to remove the blockade, with supplies already prepared to be sent in immediately.
By 9 November, concerns were being vocalized about the continued lack of aid to Tigray, as a number of humanitarian agencies were reporting that they were being prevented from delivering aid to the area. On 11 November, Ethiopia's Redwan Hussien responded to these concerns by saying that "aid is flowing like no other times." This statement was seemingly at odds with outside reports, and was deemed to be false by Tigrayan officials and local humanitarian workers, with Getachew Reda telling Agence France-Presse (AFP) that Redwan was "plucking his facts out of thin air."
On 12 November, military leaders from both parties announced in a joint statement that, as part of the Nairobi declaration, they had agreed to lift the restrictions on aid to those who needed it in Tigray and the surrounding regions; Obasanjo made assurances that humanitarian access would "begin with immediate effect." Later that same day, Ethiopian authorities stated that they were making efforts to "deliver humanitarian assistance to most of the Tigray region," of which around 70% was now claimed to be under their control.