Peace on Paper: Accountability, Justice, and the Limits of the Pretoria Agreement

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A panel of experts joins us for an urgent discussion on the Pretoria agreement, often called the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, signed by the Ethiopian Federal Government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front.

The November 2022 Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA), signed in Pretoria between the government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), was heralded as the end of one of the deadliest conflicts in recent history — a war marked by mass atrocities, widespread sexual violence, ethnic cleansing, and alleged genocide. Yet more than three years on, the agreement has failed to deliver even its most basic promises. Tigrayan survivors and over one million internally displaced persons continue to live in precarious conditions, with limited access to food and basic services, while the transitional justice process has stalled and impunity for serious crimes remains the norm. Far from stabilizing, renewed clashes erupted in January 2026 between Tigrayan forces and the Ethiopian National Defense Force, prompting the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to warn that the region is sliding back toward full-scale humanitarian catastrophe.

This event will examine the widening gap between the peace that was promised and the justice that has yet to materialize. Drawing on regional expertise, comparative perspectives, and frontline research, the panel will explore why accountability mechanisms have stalled, what legal and political pathways may still be viable, and what role the international community must play. The discussion is especially urgent given ongoing debates around an Ethiopian government-designed "National Dialogue," new justice initiatives including a universal jurisdiction complaint filed in Germany against Ethiopian and Eritrean officials for war crimes and crimes against humanity, and broader global questions about transitional justice, amnesty, and the long-term consequences of unresolved mass violence.

Featuring:

• Dr. Sarah Vaughan
  Social scientist
  Honorary Fellow of the School of Social and Political Science at the University of Edinburgh (2001-2021)
• Mahlet Gebremedhin
  Co-founder and Board President of Omna Tigray
• Dr. Azeem Ibrahim
  Senior Director of Special Initiatives at the New Lines Institute
• Hailu Kebede
  Berhe Former Foreign Affairs Department Head at Salsay Weyane Tigray
• Professor Phuong N. Pham (Moderator)
  Director of Education at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative

Sponsored by: Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights

Please register to attend this event in-person. You may livestream the event here.