Ethiopia’s Government, TPLF Agreed to Push 'Unhindered Humanitarian Access’ for Tigray
10:59 GMT 13.11.2022 (Updated: 11:37 GMT 23.11.2022)
© AP Photo / Brian Inganga
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The conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region has affected millions of people, according to UN estimates. A ceasefire was reached in March, but the deal collapsed in August. The resumption of hostilities has only exacerbated the humanitarian crisis, with residents facing extreme food insecurity and lacking access to basic services.
After long talks on the modalities for the ceasefire deal implementation in Nairobi, Kenya, the Ethiopian government and Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) on Saturday reached an agreement of full and successful implementation of the deal, including an immediate restoration of humanitarian access to the most affected regions.
“The parties have agreed to facilitate unhindered humanitarian access to all in need of assistance in Tigray and neighboring regions,” as the commanders claimed in a joint statement at Nairobi press conference.
We are sharing with you the Declaration of the Senior Commanders [of the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of #Ethiopia and the #TPLF] on the modalities for the implementation of the agreement for lasting peace through a Permanent Cessation of Hostilities. pic.twitter.com/M6aKXXZLZ2
— MFA Ethiopia🇪🇹 (@mfaethiopia) November 13, 2022
The agreement was signed by field marshal Berhanu Jula, chief of general staff of the Ethiopian armed forces, and general Tadesse Worede, commander-in-chief of the Tigray rebel forces. The talks on implementation were held in the presence of former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria and Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta, who acted as facilitators. Obasanjo, the African Union mediator, later said the agreement would start with immediate effect.
“We applaud the parties on these significant confidence-building measures and encourage them to continue towards the full implementation of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement as part of overall efforts to end the conflict and restoring peace, security and stability in Ethiopia,” read a statement issued by the African Union Commission.
According to the declaration signed by the commanders, the parties agreed to provide security guarantees for humanitarian workers and organizations, ensuring their safety and facilitating their movement across the region.
The agreement also included the following aspects: a cessation of hostilities, the disarmament of Tigray armed combatants, guarantees of protection of civilians, and other important issues needed for the successful implementation of the ceasefire deal. As for the disarmament process of Tigray militants and light weapons, the sides agreed to establish a joint committee to work out a detailed implementation plan. The disarmament of heavy weapons is expected to be “done concurrently with the withdrawal of foreign and non-ENDF [Ethiopian National Defense Force] forces from the region,” the declaration stated.
Conflict in Tigray
The conflict between the Ethiopian Government and the TPLF started in November 2020, when the TPLF began an uprising in Tigray region, rejecting the federal government's policy. The tension was aggravated by a number of reforms introduced by prime minister Abiy Ahmed's administration, including steps to reduce the TPLF's influence in the political life of the nation such as merging the ethnic-based parties into a single Prosperity Party. The TPLF's offensive was repelled, and in late December 2021 the group was forced back into Tigray.
Numerous attempts have been made to end the fighting. A ceasefire was reached in March this year. However, the hostilities resumed in August, preventing humanitarian aid from reaching people in conflict-affected areas. The Tigray region of Ethiopia faced severe humanitarian crisis due to the lack of food and medicine, limited access to basic services such as water supply, electricity, and communications.
The ceasefire agreement between the Government of Ethiopia and the TPLF was signed in Pretoria, South Africa, on November 2. According to the peace deal, the parties have agreed to silence their guns, ending two years of conflict, collaborate with humanitarian organizations to continue to deliver aid, restore public services and rebuild infrastructure.
This week, the security adviser to the country's prime minister, Redwan Hussien, stated that humanitarian aid would start reaching people who are experiencing hunger and disease in Ethiopia's northern region of Tigray by the end of the week.
11 November 2022, 19:55 GMT
The two-year conflict resulted in numerous human losses, people forced to leave their homes, and severe humanitarian crisis with people in the affected areas facing extreme poverty, starvation and deadly disease.
