The Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission (ENDC) has announced that the national dialogue process is expanding into the Tigray region, marking a significant milestone in the effort to build a unified political and social consensus across the country.
While the Commission has already been active in gathering agendas and public input from other federal and regional stakeholders—including the Ethiopian diaspora—Tigray had remained the only region yet to be integrated into the formal consultative phase. Recent initiatives, however, have cleared the path for the region to begin its own series of consultations.
According to a statement from the ENDC, the inclusion of Tigray is viewed as essential to the effectiveness of the national mission. Given the region’s recent history of armed conflict, the Commission expects the dialogue to serve as a critical mechanism for addressing the unique grievances and aspirations of its residents.
The Commission outlined several primary objectives that the dialogue is expected to achieve through its expansion into Tigray.
The process aims to provide a platform where diverse political, social, and economic voices from Tigray can articulate concerns regarding governance and social cohesion. This engagement is intended to help the rest of Ethiopia gain a deeper understanding of the ground realities in Tigray, fostering a collaborative approach to sustainable solutions.
Furthermore, a key pillar of the upcoming consultations involves developing frameworks for accountability regarding past violations. The ENDC noted that the participation of Tigrayan stakeholders is vital for creating a victim-centered justice system and establishing mechanisms that prevent the recurrence of conflict.
By bringing Tigray into the fold, the Commission hopes to strengthen a sense of shared ownership over Ethiopia’s future. The goal is to ensure that citizens in the region feel recognized as equal contributors to national decision-making.
According to FBC, the ENDC emphasized that the success of the national dialogue hinges on its ability to be truly "national," requiring every region to participate to ensure the final consensus reflects the will of all Ethiopians. The move into Tigray is expected to bolster the legitimacy of the ENDC’s work as it moves toward the final stages of formulating national policy recommendations based on broad public consensus.
