The Tigray Security Bureau has accused the federal government of attempting to recruit former Tigrayan fighters into the disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration program on an individual basis, bypassing the regional government that signed the 2022 Pretoria Agreement.
The bureau issued a statement criticizing a recent report by the National Rehabilitation Commission (NRC), which claimed progress on DDR implementation in the region, according to Addis Standard. The bureau called the commission's claim to have started DDR for the group "a sour joke," the outlet reported.
The statement accused the federal government of sidelining the "legal signatory" of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement and of attempting to engage fighters individually rather than through Tigray's regional institutions, according to Addis Standard. The bureau specifically referenced attempts to bring former combatants to Awash Arba for DDR processing, bypassing the Tigray branch of the program.
The bureau further accused the ruling Prosperity Party of trying to "ensure its survival in power" by circumventing the Pretoria Agreement's signatory, according to the report.
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The first phase of DDR in Tigray is backed by 1 billion birr from the Ethiopian government and $60 million from international partners, according to Addis Standard. Before operations were suspended, the NRC reported that 5,728 former combatants had completed reintegration training at centers in Mekelle and Edaga Hamus.
The federal government and the NRC have not publicly responded to the bureau's latest statement, according to Addis Standard. The NRC report referenced by the bureau could not be independently reviewed.
The Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, signed in Pretoria in November 2022 between the federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, required the disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration of Tigrayan fighters, with the process to be managed jointly. The NRC was established to oversee implementation. DDR has been a persistent source of friction since 2023, with Tigray authorities repeatedly raising concerns about delays and insufficient consultation with regional institutions. The reference to Awash Arba — located in the Afar Region, outside Tigray — suggests the federal government may be establishing an alternative processing site beyond the region's administrative reach, a step that would mark a significant departure from the jointly managed framework envisioned in the agreement. The $60 million in international funding attached to the first phase means the dispute carries implications beyond domestic politics; donor governments that committed resources to the DDR process have a direct stake in how — and by whom — it is administered.
