Borkena Staff
BORKENA, Nairobi — The Tigray Regional Council, reinstated by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) following the Pretoria Agreement that ended the two-year conflict in the region, has issued an order to implement a decree that includes provisions for compulsory military service and the death penalty.
The TPLF’s move to reinstate the council—which was abolished under the terms of the cessation of hostilities agreement—is viewed by the diplomatic community in Addis Ababa, including the European Union and the United States, as a breach of that peace accord.
The council, initially established through an election six years ago that the federal government deemed unconstitutional, approved the decree in May under the stated purpose of “ensuring the survival and security of the Tigray people.” Cabinet members, led by TPLF Chairman Dr. Debretsion Gebremichael, have begun providing training on the decree to justice and security officials.
Although the decree has not yet been published in the regional official gazette, Council Speaker Miheret Berhe sent a letter on June 24, 2026, to the regional justice bureau, instructing that the law should begin implementation. Copies of the letter were addressed to the Tigray Regional High Court and the Police Commission.
In the letter, the Speaker stated: “We remind you to continue working provisionally on the ‘Tigray People’s Survival and Security Decree,’ which consists of 46 pages and was approved in our previous session, until it is published in the official gazette.”
The decree has faced opposition from regional politicians and the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch. In a statement issued on Tuesday, June 23, Human Rights Watch described the law as “repressive.”
The organization stated that the decree grants Tigray regional authorities “broad powers” to “force people into military service and punish opponents.” Human Rights Watch further noted that the decree employs “vague and overly broad language” and stipulates imprisonment and the death penalty for various offenses.
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The ICC At The Hague should take a note of this and charge Debre and his entourage with crimes to wage war. This mobilization of the youth and every able person is not to protect those noble people of Tigray but it is meant to serve as human shields for Debre and his goons.