TPLF, Ethiopian Gov't Reach 'Cessation of Hostilities' Deal in South Africa Peace Process
16:11 GMT 02.11.2022 (Updated: 11:44 GMT 14.11.2022)
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Peace talks hosted by South Africa have yielded results as the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) reached a tentative agreement on Wednesday. The war has raged since late 2020, when the TPLF launched an uprising in Tigray state.
African Union chief mediator Olusegun Obasanjo announced Wednesday afternoon in Pretoria that the two sides had agreed on a formal "cessation of hostilities" in the two-year conflict.
The TPLF has agreed to an "orderly, smooth and coordinated disarmament," he said, adding that other points included "restoration of law and order" and services, as well as "unhindered access to humanitarian supplies."
"The eyes of the world will now shift from the talks to the implementation," he said.
The TPLF's lead negotiator, Getachew Red, said that the readiness of both parties to sign a peace agreement "speaks volumes" about the readiness of both groups to chart a path for peace.
"It is my hope and expectation that two parties will honor their commitments," he added.
Redwan Hussei, the lead negotiator for Abiy's government, said that the level of destruction had been "immense" - a sentiment Getachew agreed with.
"We need to replicate the victory we got on the battlefield in peace efforts, too," Abiy said in a speech earlier on Wednesday. "We are finalizing the war in northern Ethiopia with a victory ... we will now bring peace and development."
"If a victory found in war isn't repeated in peace, if the peace found through victory isn't repeated with prosperity, Ethiopia's existence/sovereignty will inevitably be violated one way or another," he added.
A spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the truce a "welcome first step."
The Long Road to Peace
Numerous attempts have been made to end the fighting, especially since December 2021, when the TPLF's offensive into neighboring Amhara and Afar states was repulsed, and its armed forces pushed back into the northern Tigray state.
Talks hosted by the African Union were expected to begin in August after the Ethiopian government agreed to meet the TPLF's preconditions, but days before they began, fighting broke out once again, with both sides blaming the other for the violence. The talks finally began late last month, after South Africa agreed to host them.
The TPLF was formerly the ruling party in Ethiopia from 1991 until 2018, when its alliance of ethnic-based parties collapsed and selected an Oromo, Abiy Ahmed, to become prime minister instead of a TPLF figure. Abiy introduced new reforms to reduce the TPLF's domination of the Ethiopian government, including merging the ethnic-based parties into a single Prosperity Party. He also ended a 20-year-long war with Eritrea and forged a new friendship with Eritirean President Isaias Afwerki.
However, the TPLF rejected Abiy's government, and in November 2020, launched an uprising against it. At its height, the TPLF controlled large swaths of western Afar and northern Amhara states and attempted to march on the capital of Addis Ababa. However, that offensive was repulsed, and in late December 2021 the group was forced back into Tigray.
After the TPLF fired ballistic missiles at Asmara, Eritrea also joined the conflict. Western commentators have tried to characterize the war as an attempted genocide by Abiy, and to cast Isaias as the puppetmaster controlled Abiy's government.
As Sputnik reported at the time, Western powers quietly gave the TPLF support for their uprising, even while claiming to be neutral on the international stage.
Abiy's terms for peace have included the TPLF surrendering its arms, stopping its attacks on Ethiopian government forces, and recognizing the legitimacy of his government.
The TPLF has accused Abiy's government of blockading Tigray and denying food, medicine and other goods to the region, creating a famine. However, international aid groups have also accused the TPLF of stealing their trucks and their gasoline, and said the continued fighting had made it unsafe for their convoys to travel to Tigray.
Both sides have been accused of war crimes, including mass killings. It is unclear how many have died during the conflict, but estimates of total deaths from war, disease, famine, and other causes may exceed half a million people.
