Ethiopian government, Tigrayan forces agree to truce after 2 years of war

NAIROBI – The Ethiopian government and Tigrayan forces formally signed a truce Wednesday, raising hopes that two years of devastating war that threatened to tear apart Africa’s second-most-populous country might be coming to an end.

“Both parties in the Ethiopian conflict have formally agreed to the cessation of hostilities as well as to systematic, orderly, smooth and coordinated disarmament, restoration of law and order, restoration of services, unhindered access to humanitarian supplies (and) protection of civilians,” said Olusegun Obasanjo, the African Union’s high representative for the Horn of Africa.

The document promised unhindered access for humanitarian aid, the restoration of services such as telecommunications and banking to the country’s Tigray region, and the cessation of hate speech. The federal government would take control of Mekelle, the capital of the rebellious region, and Ethiopia’s unity would be restored.

Tigrayan forces are to be disarmed and refrain from supporting any other armed groups – Ethiopia is battling several ethnically based uprisings around the vast country.

In return, government troops would ensure there was no “foreign incursion” – a reference widely interpreted to mean troops from neighboring Eritrea would leave Tigray. The ban on the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which controls much of the rebellious region, would be lifted, and it would be recognized as a political party again.

The agreement was announced on live television and was praised by Redwan Hussein, the national security adviser to Ethiopia’s federal government, and Getachew Reda from the TPLF.