Pretoria's Two Negotiators Jointly Warn the TPLF Is Preparing a New Attack

The two men who negotiated the Pretoria peace agreement from opposite sides of the table have published a joint article warning that the settlement they signed is being prepared against.

Ambassador Redwan Hussein, who led the federal government's delegation, and Getachew Reda, who led the TPLF's, wrote together in Al Jazeera that the TPLF group is now preparing to launch a new attack on the federal government with the direct support of the Eritrean government.

Two negotiators, one byline

The significance is less in the claim than in the signature. Redwan and Getachew sat across from each other at the Pretoria talks. Getachew went on to lead Tigray's interim administration and now advises the Prime Minister on East African affairs. A joint byline from those two names is itself a statement about where the fault line now runs — not between Addis Abeba and Meqelle, but inside Tigray's own politics.

Eritrea as a proxy operator

Speaking separately to Pulse of Africa, Getachew argued that the Eritrean government is working with Egypt to disrupt peace in East Africa and destabilise the region. Rather than engaging directly, he said, Asmara is using other armed groups as instruments to ignite conflicts away from its own borders — "Eritrea has lined them up to bear the burden of the war," in his words.

He also pointed to severe loss of life and the political situation inside Eritrea as the reason large numbers of young Eritreans are leaving the country.

What it means for anyone with capital in the north

Reconstruction lending, insurance pricing and the reopening of trade routes through Tigray all rest on the assumption that Pretoria holds. A public warning from both of its architects is the strongest signal yet that the assumption should not be treated as settled.

Open

Neither man has published evidence for the claim of direct Eritrean support, or said what timeframe they are describing. Eritrea's government has not responded. The TPLF has not responded to the characterisation of its intentions.

Sources: Tikvah Ethiopia, 20 September 2026, Tikvah Ethiopia, 20 September 2026