Mekelle, November 4, 2024 (Tigrai Mass Media Agency)- In a letter addressed to Antony J. Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State, Tigray Independence Party (TIP) voices grave concerns regarding recent statements made in a State Department press release commemorating the second anniversary of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement. While TIP acknowledges the U.S. commitment to the implementation of the agreement, they contest claims asserting that “internally displaced persons have returned to their homes and basic services have been restored.”
The party argues that these assertions are misleading and fail to accurately assess the hardships the IDPs are facing currently in Tigray. “…all internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the Western Zone as well as a significant number from parts of the Southern and Eastern Zones, have not returned.” the party affirms. The letter discusses the ongoing miseries the IDPs are enduring as their return is delayed due to “lacking the safety and support necessary for their return.”
The party criticised the claims from the press of the U.S State of Secretary that IDPs in Tigray have returned to their homes. “To imply that IDPs have returned home is not only factually incorrect; it also risks erasing the ongoing struggle of those still displaced.” the letter stated.
The letter warns on the danger of releasing such statements noting that “Such inaccuracies can contribute to dangerous narrative that downplays the severity of the humanitarian crisis in Tigray.”
On the second Anniversary of COHA, Antony J. Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State, issued a press statement urging the Government of Ethiopia to “arrange the full withdrawal of non-Ethiopian National Defense Forces from Tigray.”
