The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) has criticized recent visa restrictions imposed by the United States State Department on some of its members, arguing that the measures unfairly place responsibility on the TPLF while overlooking what it describes as the Ethiopian federal government’s failure to fully implement “key provisions of the Pretoria peace agreement”.
In a statement issued on June 19, the TPLF expressed concern that the visa sanctions were based on what it called an “incomplete and imbalanced assessment” of the situation in Tigray.
The statement also highlighted ongoing humanitarian challenges in Tigray, claiming that restrictions on salaries, banking services, fuel supplies, and humanitarian assistance continue to affect the region
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On the other hand, some stakeholders have welcomed the measures taken by the U.S. State Department. The Welqait Tegede Tellemt Amhara Scholars’ Association (WTTASA) was among the first to react.
In a statement of its own, the group noted, “WTTASA welcomes this measure, particularly as it applies to hardline members of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and their immediate family members who bear responsibility for, or are complicit in, actions that threaten Ethiopia’s stability and peaceful order.”
Furthermore, the association underscored “the imperative of full accountability for mass atrocity crimes committed against the people of Welqait, Tegede Tellemt, and Raya before and during the 2020–2022 conflict.”
