The Ethiopian parliament has endorsed a recent cabinet decision to classify the Tigray People's Liberation Front -TPLF, which has long dominated Ethiopian politics and until recently ruled the Tigray region, as a terrorist organization. The resolution, which was unanimously passed by ruling party MPs, also includes the Oromo Liberation Army -OLA, an armed group active in the Oromia and Amhara regions. The classification of the TPLF as a terrorist entity makes the prospect of peace talks in Tigray even more complicated, six months after the federal army launched a major military operation to overthrow the regional authorities there.
According to Professor Constantinos Berhuetefsa, who is an Ethiopian Political expert, the designation of the two groups as terrorists will jeopardise mediation talks.