The Tigray War Five Years On: The Pretoria Agreement and the Need for Peace

This November marks five years since the outbreak of the Tigray War—a conflict that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, displaced millions, and devastated communities and infrastructure across northern Ethiopia.

While the 2022 Pretoria Agreement brought an end to active fighting, its implementation remains incomplete. Key provisions on disarmament, the return of refugees and internally displaced people, and transitional justice have yet to be fulfilled. Meanwhile, escalating violence in the Amhara and Oromia regions and ongoing tensions with Eritrea threaten to undermine the fragile gains achieved since the agreement.

Amnesty International, ECDC, New Lines Institute, and Refugees International hosted a timely discussion marking the fifth anniversary of the Tigray War. Panelists assessed progress and setbacks since the Pretoria Agreement, examined the risks of renewed conflict, and explored what Washington can do to help advance a sustainable peace in Ethiopia. An audience Q&A followed.

Speakers

Welcome:

Jeremy Konyndyk, President, Refugees International

Remarks:

Representative Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where she serves as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Africa

Moderator:

Nick Schifrin, Foreign Affairs and Defense Correspondent, PBS NewsHour

Panelists:

Payton Knopf, Special Advisor, Dialogue Advisory Group and former Deputy Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa

Tsedale Lemma, Founder and former Editor-in-Chief of Addis Standard Publications, published by JAKENN Publishing P.L.C

Mike Woldemariam, Associate Professor, University of Maryland School of Public Policy

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Featured Image: Abebache Chale, 37, an internally displaced person (IDP) from Tsegede, Tigray Western Zone, inside her tent at the Mai-Dimu IDP camp outside Shire, Tigray region, on July 15, 2024. Photo by Michele Spatari/AFP via Getty Images.