25/08/2026
Statement on Former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Visit to Tigray
August 24, 2026
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo visited Mekelle today. Although the visit was made without prior appointment, the President of Tigray rearranged his demanding schedule to meet him.
During the meeting, the Tigray delegation expressed its disappointment over the absence of meaningful follow-up to the discussions held in June. At that meeting, five critical issues were identified as possible entry points for dialogue with the Federal Government:
• Lifting the economic embargo and siege imposed on Tigray;
• Ending the military encirclement and de-escalating the security situation;
• The restoration of Tigray’s occupied territories;
• The safe and dignified return of internally displaced persons; and
• The restoration of the legal and political status of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.
Former President Obasanjo had indicated that, following consultations with the Federal authorities, he would return to Tigray within one or two weeks. Despite the gravity and urgency of the situation, however, no such follow-up took place.
Regrettably, today’s discussions produced neither new proposals nor evidence of tangible progress by the Federal Government on any of these critical issues. As a result, we have neither the appetite nor the political space to repeat the futile process of the past four years—a process characterized by repeated discussions, unfulfilled assurances, and the continuing deterioration of conditions on the ground.
Peace and stability cannot be achieved through recycled proposals or procedural gestures. However, the Government of Tigray remains ready to participate constructively in a credible, time-bound dialogue supported by major international partners.