Meeting since Tuesday 25 October in the South African capital Pretoria, under the aegis of the African Union, delegations from the Ethiopian federal government and the Tigray rebels concluded a peace agreement on Wednesday 2 November to end hostilities. A few hours before the 2nd anniversary of the deadly conflict between them in northern Ethiopia. This new agreement could really be the end of the war, especially considering that the previous ceasefire agreed in March lasted only five months.
This meeting is the first public dialogue between the two sides. At the end of these few days of intense negotiations, “the two parties to the Ethiopian conflict have formally agreed on a cessation of hostilities, as well as on an orderly, smooth and coordinated disarmament,” announced the African Union (AU) High Representative for the Horn of Africa, Olusegun Obasanjo. The former Nigerian president also added: “This moment is not the end of the process, but the beginning. The implementation of the peace agreement signed today is essential to the success of the process.
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Cette nouvelle trêve est la deuxième signée cette année. Last March, an agreement between the two sides lasted only five months, before fighting resumed on 24 August. Both sides accused each other of planning further attacks. On Wednesday in Pretoria, the warring parties pledged to draw up a detailed programme for the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of rebels into the army. The Ethiopian government will therefore “strengthen its collaboration with humanitarian agencies in order to continue delivering aid to all those in need”. In addition, Abiy Ahmed’s government will also “continue its efforts to restore public services and rebuild infrastructure in all communities affected by the conflict”.
The beginning of a new era for Ethiopia
At the signing of the agreement, the head of the Ethiopian government delegation, Redwan Hussein, acknowledged the commitment of both parties to “put an end to this tragic episode”.
For Getachew Reda, head of the delegation of the Tigray rebel authorities, this agreement shows “the will of both parties to leave the past behind”. He hopes that both parties will respect their commitments. “As we speak, thousands of fighters and civilians are losing their lives. It is therefore important not only to sign this agreement but also to implement it immediately,” he said. The African Union welcomed the commitment of the warring parties, saying it was “the beginning of a new era for Ethiopia”.
Since November 4, 2020, a conflict described as one of the deadliest has begun in Tigray after Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) forces attacked a federal army base. The region has been widely left without electricity, telecommunications and banking services for over a year. The resumption of fighting last August also interrupted the humanitarian aid that should be delivered to the region.
