WASHINGTON, June 18 - The U.S. State Department on Thursday declared visa restrictions aimed at people it says are impeding a peaceful resolution in Ethiopia, identifying the primary targets as hardliners within the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and certain members of their immediate families.
In an official statement, the State Department warned of escalating tensions in the north of the country. "Rising tensions between Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) hardliners and the Ethiopian government have threatened to reignite the conflict in northern Ethiopia and undermine peace and security across the entire region," the statement said.
The announcement references clashes earlier this year between TPLF forces and Ethiopian government forces as part of the rationale for imposing the visa measures. The State Department framed the policy as a tool to hold individuals accountable for actions that obstruct a political resolution in the region.
"This visa restriction policy targets individuals who are responsible for, or complicit in, undermining resolution to the crisis in the Tigray region," the statement said.
The move follows political developments in May when Tigray's main political party reasserted control over the region's political administration. That action fulfilled a previously stated threat to contravene a key element of the agreement that had ended the civil war with the federal government.
The TPLF said it had restored the legislative council that existed prior to the 2020-2022 civil war and that the council elected TPLF chair Debretsion Gebremichael as regional president.
Observers referenced in the Department's statement noted that the conflict in Tigray drew in forces from neighbouring Eritrea and was among the deadliest of the century. Researchers estimate the fighting and its effects killed hundreds of thousands of people, a toll attributed to direct violence, the collapse of healthcare services and famine.
The State Department's targeted visa restrictions are designed to limit travel benefits for those deemed to be obstructing efforts to restore peace and governance in the Tigray region. The announcement underscores U.S. attention to recent clashes and the risk that renewed tensions could further destabilize northern Ethiopia and the broader region.