The Ethiopian government and forces in the country’s northern Tigray region agreed on Wednesday to “a permanent cessation of hostilities” in a brutal civil war that has lasted two years.
This follows a successful mediation by former President Uhuru Kenyatta and the AU Envoy for the Horn of Africa Olusegun Obasanjo.
”The two parties in the Ethiopian conflict have formally agreed to the cessation of hostilities as well as to systematic, orderly, smooth and coordinated disarmament,” Olusegun Obasanjo, head of the AU mediation team said.
The conflict has resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands of people, the displacement of more than two million, and widespread hunger and suffering.
”Violence, bullets, and guns will not be the solution as has been the case with the warring Ethiopian faction. The lasting solution can only be through political dialogue,” Uhuru Kenyatta noted.
The agreement between the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan forces should allow aid deliveries to resume.
The Ethiopian government officials and representatives of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) have signed up for a disarmament plan and the restoration of crucial services, including aid supplies.
