TPLF conference concludes

In its closing session, the fourth conference of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) endorsed the measures taken by the government over Eritrea, and said the actions had guaranteed respect for Ethiopia’s interests and sovereignty. The TPLF conference also “started listening to criticism and self-criticisms by members of the TPLF central committee”, said the pro-Ethiopian government Walta Information Centre on Tuesday.

The TPLF conference lasted seven days and was held in the Tigrayan capital Mekele, northern Ethiopia. It was convened in the wake of a serious schism in the TPLF, the dominant party of the ruling coalition Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front, in which Prime Minister Meles Zenawi retained a narrow majority during a walkout by central committee members earlier this year. Meles was criticised by dissenters for what they considered his poor handling of the dispute with Eritrea, and over ideological differences within the party.

Meanwhile, police in Mekele town had carried out a clean-up operation, official Tigray radio said on Tuesday. The report said the Tigray police had arrested “criminals and drug peddlers”. Opposition papers claimed the exercise was in fact motivated by political considerations, because of the sensitive circumstances of the conference.