December 27, 2023
By Staff Reporter
ADDIS ABABA – (BORKENA) – The Amhara Regional Government and the Agew Democratic Movement (ADM) have signed a secret agreement being mediated by the Federal Defense Force and people are eying the said ‘accord’ suspiciously, sources said.
Wazema exposed the clandestine accord signed between the Regional Government and the TPLF-adored ADM, a rival movement in Waghimra Zone of Amhara Region. Wazema reported here yesterday that the secret agreement was reached after a prolonged negotiation and extensive talks held in Addis Ababa under the mediation of the Defense Force of the Federal Government.
Wazema quoted one of the negotiators who leaked the secret as saying that there was a confirmed “peace agreement” signed by the two rival bodies.
Wazema heard from the negotiating participants that the Federal Defense Force mediated to bring the two parties round the table.
Keeping the negotiation confidential, and warning the participants of the negotiation to refrain from making public the contents of the negotiation are parts of the agreement, Wazema reported, quoting its sources.Sources told Wazema that the agreement revolves around the issue of ADM’s disarmament and its transition to a peaceful political party.From the ADM side autonomy governance and regionalization was put on the table for negotiation, according to the source.ADM is a separatist wing of a political party, Agew National Council. Its main objective is to “establish a regional government of Agew”. The combatants of ADM are led by those who had the role of executive members in their ‘mother’ party, Agew National Council, which operates as a rival element in the area.Today’s leaders of ADM, after breaking themselves off from Agew National Council, joined Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and participated in the recently held bloody war in the northern part of the country.Sources said that leaders of ADM have been operating mainly in Mekele, Capital of Tigray Region. The relationship of ADM with the TPLF, which they call partners, went beyond fighting together. TPLF opened an office for ADM in Mekele and provided it with arms to go against its arch-enemy, Amhara. Though the new comrade in arm of ADM, the Federal Defence Force, acts as a mediator, many people are eyeing the ‘negotiation’ or ‘accord’ with suspicion. Many are concerned about the hidden ‘negotiation’, which can be utilized by the Federal Government that is under serious war with the combatants in Amhara Region, to create chaos in the region. Why is the ‘agreement’ or negotiation needed to be confidential? What are the discussion points tabled for negotiation? Why did the government use the Defense Force as the mediator of the negotiation? In a situation in which these and other questions cannot be cleared, the so-called negotiation is eyed suspiciously, people are saying.A team led by Head of the Peace and Security Bureau of the Amhara Region, Dessalegn Tassie, participated in the negotiations while senior military officers from the Federal Defense Side took the seat of the mediator.Wazema further said that the “peace agreement” signed behind the curtain between the Amhara Regional Government and the ADM would be made official next Sunday, the 31st of December 2023.