Ethiopia’s federal government and the Tigray Peoples' Liberation Front (TPLF) have announced a ceasefire for the conflict in northern Ethiopia after ten days of peace talks in South Africa. Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who mediated the talks led by the African Union (AU), broke the news Wednesday in the South African capital of Pretoria. A joint statement said the warring parties “have agreed to silence the guns and end the two years of conflict in northern Ethiopia.”
The ceasefire would halt a two-year civil war that has devastated much of northern Ethiopia. The armed conflict between the Ethiopian government and the TPLF began in November 2020, with each party blaming the other for initiating the violence. Neither side has confirmed casualty figures, but observers fear the conflict has killed hundreds of thousands of people.
“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, restoration of law and order, restoration of services, unhindered access to humanitarian supplies, protection of civilians especially women, children, and other vulnerable groups, among other areas of agreement. The agreement also takes care of assurance of security for all concerned within and outside Ethiopia,” Mr. Obasanjo said.
Humanitarian aid has been largely blocked from reaching the region, while millions of people in Tigray and neighboring regions are in need of emergency relief. A humanitarian truce was previously agreed in March 2022, but that agreement collapsed in August. Even before the resumption of hostilities, 13 million people required food and other support across the regions of Tigray, Amhara and Afar. Deliveries of humanitarian aid into Tigray have been suspended for more than eight weeks, and assistance to Amhara and Afar has also been disrupted.
Further information
Full text: Joint Statement between the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Tigray Peoples' Liberation Front (TPLF), November 2, 2022, released by the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation
http://www.dirco.gov.za/docs/2022/ethi1102.pdf
Full text: Remarks by Olusegun Obasanjo, High Representative of the AU Chairperson for the Horn of Africa, on the occasion of the Signing of the Peace Agreement, November 2, 2022, released by the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation
http://www.dirco.gov.za/docs/speeches/2022/obas1102.htm