- The two-year war has killed thousands and displaced millions
- Ethiopian government, Tigray troops agree on ceasefire
- The breakthrough comes just a week after the talks in South Africa
PRETORIA, Nov 2 (Portal) – The Ethiopian government and Tigray regional forces agreed on Wednesday to cease hostilities, a dramatic diplomatic breakthrough two years after a war that has killed thousands, displaced millions and subjected hundreds of thousands to starvation .
A little over a week after the African Union (AU)-brokered formal peace talks began in the South African capital of Pretoria, delegates from both sides signed what an AU official described as a “definitive cessation of hostilities”.
“The two parties to the Ethiopian conflict have officially agreed on a cessation of hostilities and systematic, orderly, smooth and coordinated disarmament,” Olusegun Obasanjo, head of the AU’s mediation team, said at a ceremony.
Obasanjo, a former Nigerian president, said the deal also included “the restoration of law and order, the restoration of services, unhindered access to humanitarian supplies and the protection of civilians.”
An agreement was not expected so soon. Earlier on Wednesday, the AU invited the media to a briefing from Obasanjo. It wasn’t until the event started about three hours late that it became clear that a ceasefire was about to be signed.
“This moment is not the end of the peace process. The implementation of the peace deal signed today is critical to its success,” Obasanjo said, adding that this will be overseen and monitored by a senior AU body.
He hailed the process as an African solution to an African problem.
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed thanked Obasanjo and other mediators for concluding the peace talks and said in a statement the government’s commitment to implementing the deal was strong.
“Our commitment to peace remains steadfast. And our commitment to working together to implement the agreement is just as strong,” the statement said on Twitter.
Ethiopian government representative Redwan Hussien, the national security adviser to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, said all parties should abide by the letter and spirit of the agreement.
In response, Tigray delegate Getachew Reda, a spokesman for regional authorities, spoke about the widespread death and destruction in the region and said it was his hope and expectation that both parties would honor their commitments.
In Washington, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the United States remains committed to supporting an African-led peace process for Ethiopia.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the ceasefire, according to UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric.
“It’s a very welcome first step that we hope can bring some comfort to the millions of Ethiopian civilians who have truly suffered during this conflict,” Dujarric told reporters.
BLOCKADE
Troops from Eritrea, a separate country bordering Tigray, as well as forces from other Ethiopian regions have joined the conflict alongside the Ethiopian army.
Neither Eritrea nor the regional armed forces took part in the talks in South Africa, and Wednesday’s ceremony made no mention of whether they would abide by the ceasefire.
The war comes after a catastrophic breakdown in ties between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), a guerrilla movement-turned-political party that dominated Ethiopia for 27 years, and Abiy, who was once part of their ruling coalition whose appointment ended in 2018 The dominance of TPLF.
Escalating tensions in 2018-20, including Abiy’s peace deal with the TPLF’s sworn enemy Eritrea, and the TPLF’s decision to oppose him by holding nationwide postponed regional elections in Tigray, pushed the warring parties to war.
Wednesday’s agreement does not address the deeper political tensions that contributed to the conflict.
The AU said in a statement it was ready to continue to accompany the Ethiopian peace process “towards a more democratic, just and inclusive Ethiopia, in which youth, women and men participate fully and in peace”.
The TPLF has accused Abiy of centralizing power at the expense of regions and oppressing the Tigrayans, which he denies, while Abiy has accused the TPLF of restoring power at the national level, which she denies.
The United Nations says the war has led to a de facto blockade of Tigray that has lasted nearly two years, with humanitarian shipments of food and medicines unable to get through most of the time.
Some relief supplies were delivered to Tigray between March and August this year during a temporary ceasefire that collapsed in August, but the World Health Organization said last week Tigray was out of vaccines, antibiotics and insulin.
Health facilities were said to be resorting to the use of saline solutions and rags to treat and dress wounds.
The government has consistently denied lockdown subsidies, saying it is distributing food and restoring electricity and other services in areas under its control.
Human rights abuses by all warring factions, including extrajudicial killings, rape, looting and forced displacement, have been documented by UN bodies, the state-appointed Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, independent aid organizations and media including Portal.
All sides have denied the allegations.
Reporting by Alexander Winning and Tim Cocks; Additional reporting by Ayenat Mersie in Nairobi, Michelle Nichols in New York, Jeff Mason and Jarrett Renshaw in Washington, writing by Estelle Shirbon, editing by James Macharia Chege, William Maclean
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