Following the decision by Ethiopia's parliament to delist the TPLF as a terrorist organisation, here is a brief history of the group:
- Underground years -
The TPLF emerged in February 1975 from a feverish and radical student movement which shook an imperial Ethiopia in the 1960s and 70s.
Born as a small guerrilla squad, the TPLF was determined to secure self-determination for the Tigray region and its people within a unified Ethiopia and to right historic grievances.
Emperor Haile Selassie had been overthrown the previous year and the new military Marxist regime known as the Derg brutally crushed the demands of ethno-nationalists.
The TPLF grew quickly into an efficient and disciplined organisation that led the armed overthrow of the Derg.
When different Ethiopian armed groups united under the banner of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), it was TPLF chief Meles Zenawi who became its leader.
- Meles era -
On May 28, 1991, TPLF troops wearing EPRDF uniforms and backed by Eritrean forces seized control of the capital Addis Ababa.
Aged just 36, Meles became Ethiopia's strongman, remaining at the helm until his death in 2012.
Officially, the EPRDF was in charge. But it was the TPLF that held the reins, even though Tigrayans represent only six percent of the population.
After the 1998-2000 war with Eritrea, Meles purged some dissident voices from the TPLF, effectively governing alone.
- Slide from power -
After Meles' death in 2012 the EPRDF chose Hailemariam Desalegn to become prime minister.
But he lacked the historical legitimacy of the armed struggle, was not Tigrayan, and had no control over the TPLF's military and security apparatus.
Despite Ethiopia's rapid economic growth, nearly 30 years of Tigrayan domination -- characterised by a lack of freedom and rampant corruption -- fuelled frustration, notably among the two largest ethnic groups, the Oromo and Amhara.
In 2015 a plan to extend the capital into Oromo land sparked protests by both communities, creating a movement which led to the resignation of Hailemariam in February 2018.
- Disgrace -
The EPRDF chose Abiy Ahmed, an Oromo, to replace him -- cementing the TPLF's loss of influence.
The party was sidelined from key posts, several leaders were arrested for corruption, while some sought by the authorities went into hiding in Tigray.
When Abiy decided to scrap the EPRDF in favour of a single political party, the TPLF refused to join and fully retreated to Tigray, defying the authority of the central government.
The party held its own elections in September 2020 despite polls being postponed nationwide due to the coronavirus pandemic.
- Conflict -
In November 2020, Abiy accused the TPLF of attacking army camps in Tigray and sent troops to disarm and detain the region's dissident leadership.
At the time, the TPLF had a force of some 250,000 fighters, according to the International Crisis Group.
The rebels waged a slow-burn guerrilla insurgency as its top leadership -- including chairman Debretsion Gebremichael -- went to ground and evaded capture.
The resistance was spearheaded by deposed Tigrayan leaders like Debretsion and seasoned military commanders such as General Tsadkan Gebretensae, who led the Ethiopian army in its bloody war against Eritrea in the late 1990s.
- Peace deal -
The TPLF mounted a surprise counter-offensive in June 2021 and recaptured Mekele, with Debretsion and rebel fighters arriving in the Tigrayan capital to a heroes' welcome.
Their forces marched onwards into neighbouring regions and even towards Addis Ababa, but were mostly driven back inside Tigray by late 2021.
A humanitarian truce was declared in March 2022 but in August fighting erupted again, with major casualties reported on all sides.
By the time a peace deal was brokered between Addis Ababa and the TPLF in November 2022, Western nations estimated between 100,000 and half a million people had died in two years of bloodshed.
Under the truce the TPLF agreed to disarm in return for the restoration of access to Tigray, and there has been some resumption of basic services and aid deliveries to the stricken region.
In March 2023, parliament removed the TPLF from an official list of terrorist groups, a key step in the peace process.
Timeline: the conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray
Paris (AFP) March 22, 2023 -
War broke out in northern Ethiopia more than two years ago when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered a military offensive against the dissident ruling party in the country's Tigray region.
Washington says as many as half a million people have died in the fighting, while Olusegun Obasanjo, the African Union's envoy to the region, has said it could be up to 600,000.
Here is a timeline:
- 2020: troops enter Tigray -
On November 4, Abiy launches military operations against the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), a former guerrilla group that dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades before he took power, and which he accuses of attacking federal army bases.
Eritrea, which fought a war with the TPLF from 1998 to 2000, sends troops into Tigray to help Ethiopian forces.
Two weeks later, Tigray's capital Mekele falls to government forces.
- 2021: Tigrayans advance -
In June, the rebels retake Mekele and push into the neighbouring regions of Amhara and Afar.
Abiy is sworn in for a new five-year term on October 4. In November, he announces a state of emergency and goes to the frontline to personally direct his troops in battle.
A UN investigation warns of suspected crimes against humanity by all sides.
- 2022: humanitarian truce -
In March, the government and rebels agree to a truce to help accelerate the delivery of emergency aid to the region. The rebels accept a ceasefire.
In late August, the truce falls apart as fighting resumes on Tigray's southern border. The fighting hinders the transportation of UN humanitarian aid.
On September 1, rebels denounce a joint offensive by Ethiopian and Eritrean forces against the north of Tigray from Eritrea.
- Peace talks -
On October 5, the government and rebels both say they have accepted an invitation to peace talks in South Africa, but they do not take place.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warns the situation "is spiralling out of control" as government forces take control of Shire and two other Tigrayan towns.
The talks begin on October 25 in the South African capital Pretoria.
On November 2, the warring sides agree to a "cessation of hostilities", and the African Union hails the deal as a new "dawn" for Ethiopia.
The TPLF agrees to disarm in return for the restoration of access to Tigray. Communications, banking and electricity are then slowly restored to the region and there has been some resumption of aid deliveries.
- 2023: off terror list -
On Wednesday, in a key step in the peace process, Ethiopia's parliament removes the TPLF from the official list of terrorist groups.
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