The Pretoria Agreement is a peace accord signed on November 2, 2022, between the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) in Pretoria, South Africa. Formally titled "Agreement for Lasting Peace Through a Permanent Cessation of Hostilities," the accord ended nearly two years of armed conflict that had affected the Tigray region.
The agreement was reached through mediation by an African Union High-Level Panel, which was specifically convened to facilitate negotiations between the parties. The panel brought together three figures with significant diplomatic experience: Olusegun Obasanjo, the AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa; Uhuru Kenyatta, the former President of Kenya; and Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the former Deputy President of South Africa.
The Pretoria Agreement established the fundamental commitment of both parties to cease hostilities, but the transition from a ceasefire to a lasting peace required much more detailed planning and implementation measures. A follow-up implementation agreement was therefore signed just ten days later in Nairobi on November 12, 2022. This second agreement specified the concrete measures both parties would need to undertake to transition from the ceasefire into genuine political peace.
The implementation agreement detailed several key requirements for both parties. The TPLF agreed to disarm its combatants. Eritrean forces and Amhara special forces were to withdraw entirely from Tigray. Humanitarian organizations would be granted unhindered access to provide essential aid to affected populations. Additionally, the African Union would establish a dedicated monitoring and verification team to observe and track implementation on the ground.
Article 8 of the main agreement assigned specific and direct responsibility to the Federal Government of Ethiopia for ensuring that all non-federal-army forces withdrew completely from Tigray and for maintaining Ethiopia's territorial integrity. The agreement also stipulated that the Ethiopian National Defense Forces would take up positions along the international boundary.
Following the November 2 signing, Ethiopia's Federal House of Peoples' Representatives took legislative action. The House removed the TPLF's designation as a terrorist organization and dropped all criminal charges against TPLF leaders.
Yet as of 2026, four years after the agreement was signed, significant provisions of the peace accord remain unimplemented. The return of people displaced by the armed conflict has not yet occurred. The disarmament of TPLF forces has not been carried out. The withdrawal of Eritrean forces from Tigray has been disputed.
