Ethiopia, 4 November 2025 — The Interim Administration of Ethiopia’s Tigray Region has urged for the safe and voluntary return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their home areas, in line with the Pretoria peace agreement signed between the federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
Amanuel Asfaw, Deputy Head of the Interim Administration, said the “fundamental and lasting solution” to displacement lies in creating conditions that ensure the safety and dignity of returnees.
Speaking in the city of Shire during a meeting with Kyoko Ono, Director of the Africa Division at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Asfaw emphasized that the full implementation of the Pretoria Agreement — including the withdrawal of armed groups from western Tigray, the dissolution of unlawful administrations, and the relocation of new settlers — is essential for sustainable peace and the safe return of IDPs.
He also voiced concern over reports that the federal government has been coordinating IDP returns with international agencies “without the knowledge of the interim administration and through unsafe channels.”
The UN delegation reaffirmed that UN agencies cannot take actions or engage in political activities that may endanger civilians or contravene humanitarian principles.
According to OCHA, the delegation will conduct a field visit to assess the living conditions of displaced persons and review ongoing humanitarian and recovery efforts in northwestern Tigray.