Chairman of Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) Debretsion Gebremichael has praised Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s strong commitment to the implementation of November’s peace deal that ended hostilities between the federal government and the TPLF.
Gebremichael made the comment during a meeting with a federal government delegation, led by Speaker of the House of Representatives Tagesse Chafo, which arrived on an official visit in the Tigray region’s capital Mekelle on Monday. The visit was the first of its kind since the start of the Tigray conflict two years ago.
“We have to realize the desire of the people of Tigray for peace in unison and with honesty,” Gebremichael said. “We greatly acknowledge the good efforts of the federal government, particularly, we thank the prime minister for his commitment for peace.”
The TPLF leader stressed that the discussions with the visiting delegation, composed of ministers and heads of service-providing institutions, “will lay a foundation” for maintaining the peace agreement.
He hailed the visit as being a “historic day,” adding that the people in the war-torn Tigray region are demanding the implementation of the agreement in a “strengthened manner.” Gebremichael also called for the speedy return of public services, including banks, electricity, telecommunication, as well as supplies of medicine.
On November 2, a ceasefire deal was reached between Ethiopia’s federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, putting an end to nearly two years of fighting in the region of Tigray in the north of the country, where an unidentified number of people were killed and more than two million displaced.
The peace deal eased the way for humanitarian aid, access to which was previously restricted, and the gradual return of public services, including banking, communications, electricity and fuel.
Earlier in the month, Ethiopia’s largest bank, the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE), announced resuming operations in the Tigray region more than two years after the shutdown of the bank’s branches in the region.
Prior to that, the country’s electricity operator finished reconnecting the northern region to the national power grid, after a suspension of services lasting more than a year.