(Nairobi) An Ethiopian government delegation traveled to the capital of the rebel region of Tigray on Monday for its first official visit in more than two years, marking a major milestone in the peace process launched in November after a deadly conflict.
This group of high-ranking officials came “to supervise the application of the main points of the peace agreement” signed on November 2 in Pretoria between the dissident authorities of Tigray and the federal government, explained the government communication service.
Led by the Speaker of the House of Representatives Tagesse Chafo, the delegation notably included Prime Minister National Security Advisor Redwan Hussein as well as several ministers (Justice, Transport and Communications, Industry, Labour).
The director general of the road authority and the CEOs of Ethiopian Airlines, Ethio Telecom and Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, key players in the restoration of basic services that Tigray has been deprived of for more than a year, were also present. trip.
This visit is, according to the federal government, “proof that the peace agreement is on the right track and is progressing”.
“It’s a great chapter”, welcomed Tagesse Chafo: “In the discussions we had, the reception we received and the moments we spent together, there is great hope”.
Tigrayan authorities’ spokesman Getachew Reda hailed on Twitter “an important step”, with “fruitful discussions” and “important understanding”.
The government officials and business leaders arrived in Mekele on Monday morning and left in the late afternoon, Getachew Reda told AFP. “But technical teams stay here,” he said.
‘No half peace’
Government and Tigrayan rebels signed an agreement on November 2 ending the war that ravaged northern Ethiopia for two years.
This text provides in particular for the disarmament of rebel forces, the restoration of federal authority in Tigray and the reopening of access and communications to this region cut off from the world since mid-2021.
The fighting began in November 2020, when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent in the army to arrest Tigray leaders who had challenged his authority for months and whom he accused of attacking federal military bases.
The precise toll of this conflict punctuated by abuses, which took place largely behind closed doors, is unknown. The International Crisis Group think tank and the NGO Amnesty International have described it as “one of the deadliest in the world”.
Since the Pretoria agreement, the fighting has stopped. The rebels claimed to have “disengaged” 65% of their fighters from the front lines.
But they denounce “atrocities” committed by the Eritrean army and the forces of the Ethiopian region of Amhara, which supported the federal army in the conflict. The Tigrayan authorities, as well as residents and aid workers who testified to AFP, accuse them of looting, rape, executions and kidnappings of civilians.
“We don’t want half peace, where half [du Tigré] would be at peace and the other half killed, massacred and overrun,” Tigray head of government Debretsion Gebremichael said on Monday.
As access to Tigray is restricted, it is impossible to independently verify the situation on the ground.
“Seat” to lift
The city of Mekele was connected to the national electricity grid on December 6, the main bank of the country, the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE), announced on December 19 the resumption of its operations in certain cities, and telephone communications with the region began to recover.
But Debretsion Gebremichael felt that “the seat [du Tigré] must be completely lifted”, referring to a still “very limited” supply of medicines and a largely incomplete return of telecommunications and banking services.
CBE President Abie Sano assured that “fixing and auditing work on the system must be completed this week so that services can resume”.
On the humanitarian level, despite an increase in operations, the food and medical aid delivered remains far below the enormous needs.
The war has displaced more than two million Ethiopians and plunged hundreds of thousands into near-famine conditions, according to the UN.
According to the UN, the two years of war have made more than 13.6 million people dependent on humanitarian aid in northern Ethiopia (5.4 million in Tigray, 7 million in Amhara and 1.2 million in Afar).