Debating the implications of the Pretoria Agreement for Ethiopia: countering attempts to silence alternative voices

SUMMARYFollowing an earlier piece by the authors debating the importance of the Pretoria Agreement (or Cessation of Hostilities Agreement) concluded in November 2022, this piece sets out their formal response to and rebuttal of blog comments received on Roape.net (Gebrehiwot et al. Citation2023), and also of comments in a debate piece by J. Abbink (Citation2023) published in this issue of the Review of African Political Economy (ROAPE). The authors here contest the views put forward as lacking engagement with their arguments and mischaracterising their views.KEYWORDS: African politicsEthiopiaarmed conflictethno-political tensionsTigray Disclosure statementThe authors declare no conflict of interest.Notes1 While in the Ethiopian tradition first names would be used here and in the journal references, the journal’s European system of listing by second name has been used for citations and references in this piece. The text therefore often refers to Mulugeta and co-authors, while their piece under discussion is listed under Gebrehiwot et al. Citation2023 in the reference list, as indicated in the citations.2 Two of our critics are clearly politically partisan and have skin in the game: Mulugeta (as a TPLF veteran and still an insider) and Mohammed Hassan (an Oromo Liberation Army [OLA] negotiator).3 Abbink gives the number of internally displaced persons and victims of massacres as if they are uncontested facts (see Abadir Citation2023) and ignores some confirmed atrocities that occurred in Tigray.4 https://twitter.com/WorldPeaceFdtn/status/1669416423641468929?s=03.Additional informationNotes on contributorsFana GebresenbetFana Gebresenbet is Director and an associate professor of peacebuilding and development at the Institute for Peace and Security Studies of Addis Ababa University. He has co-edited two books, Lands of the future (Berghahn, 2021) and Youth on the move (Hurst, 2021), and published numerous journal articles and book chapters. His research interests cover the politics of development, political economy and peacebuilding in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa.Yonas TarikuYonas Tariku is a lecturer and academic coordinator of the MA programme at the Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS) of Addis Ababa University. His primary research focus is on national and regional security in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa; his publications focus on peace, conflict and security. Since 2015, he has also been part-time trainer at the Ethiopian National Defence Force’s International Peace Support Training Institute. His latest article is The Red Book: the political foundation of the Ethiopian National Defence Forces under the EPRDF (2022).