25/09/2025
Joint Statement on the Urgent Need to Implement the Pretoria Agreement
25 September 2025
We, the undersigned organizations, express our deepest sorrow and outrage over the recent death(1) of a two-year-old boy at the Sebea Kare IDP camp, who was fatally attacked by a hyena.
This tragedy is not an isolated incident(2), but a stark reminder of the intolerable conditions in which hundreds of thousands of displaced people continue to live across Tigray. Over 760,000 people in Tigray are living in precarious conditions, with overcrowded shelters and strained services pushing the humanitarian situation to a critical point, according to the Ethiopia Emergency Shelter and NFI Cluster(3).
Families who fled war and atrocities are now enduring insecurity, hunger, trauma, and exposure to dangers that no child should ever face.
The continued suffering of civilians is a direct consequence of the stalled implementation of the Pretoria Agreement. Without urgent and full enforcement, including restoration of security, access to humanitarian aid, and the safe return of displaced communities, the lives of innocent children, women, and men will remain at grave risk.
We call upon all parties, as well as the international community, to:
1. Urgently implement the Pretoria Agreement in good faith and without delay.
2. Ensure protection and dignified living conditions for displaced populations, including fencing, lighting, and security at IDP camps.
3. Guarantee sustained humanitarian access so that food, shelter, and health care reach all affected communities.
4. Prioritize accountability and justice for the war’s survivors, in line with international human rights standards.
The death of a child in an IDP camp should never be acceptable. The people of Tigray cannot wait any longer. Implementation of the Pretoria Agreement is not only a legal obligation; it is a moral imperative.
Signed,
Voice for Democracy and Social Justice Human Rights First
Solidarity of Tigrians
