Ethiopia and Tigray Sign Peace Agreement to End 2-Year Civil War
The Ethiopian government on Wednesday signed a peace agreement with regional forces from Ethiopia’s Tigray region to end a 2-year war that has had a devastating effect on the Tigray region.
The signing of the Ethiopia peace agreement comes after a week of mediation talks organised by the African Union (AU) in Pretoria, South Africa.
Former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo served as head of the AU’s mediation team and addressed a press conference on Wednesday shortly before the signing of the peace agreement.
Reuters describes the signing of the Ethiopia peace agreement as a dramatic diplomatic breakthrough two years into a war that has killed thousands, displaced millions and left hundreds of thousands facing famine. An AU official is also said to have described the signing of the peace agreement as a “permanent cessation of hostilities”.
Obasanjo noted that “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.” He added that the agreement also included “restoration of law and order, restoration of services, unhindered access to humanitarian supplies, protection of civilians”.
The Ethiopia peace agreement was not expected so soon as the warring parties had given no indications of their willingness to agree to a ceasefire. Also, a previous ceasefire agreement had broken down in August.
According to Reuters, the AU had on Wednesday only invited media to what it described as a briefing by Obasanjo. It was only when the event began, about three hours behind schedule, that it became clear a truce was about to be signed.
“This moment is not the end of the peace process. Implementation of the peace agreement signed today is critical for its success,” said Obasanjo, adding that this would be supervised and monitored by a high-level AU panel.
He praised the process as an African solution to an African problem.
Eritrea, a neighbouring country which also borders the Tigray region has been involved in the conflict but was not represented at the signing of the Ethiopia peace agreement.
