The Ethiopian government and the rebels in the Tigray region have agreed on “a cessation of hostilities” in this northern region of the country. The agreement was reached during talks in Pretoria (South Africa), the African Union (AU) said on Wednesday (November 2).
>> Five things to know about the forgotten war in Tigray, northern Ethiopia
The two parties have been in conflict for two years in this country located in the Horn of Africa. It’s the “beginning of a new era for Ethiopia”, asserted the African Union (AU) following the announcement. “We’ll look into the details, but it’s a really welcome first step”for his part reacted the spokesperson for Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the UN.
The rebels also welcomed the deal. “In order to address the suffering of our people, we have made concessions because we need to build trust”, said the leader of the rebel delegation, Getachew Reda. Affirming its desire to “implement the agreement and as soon as possible”he pointed out “the willingness of both parties to leave the past behind to chart a new path to peace”.
The negotiations, which began on October 25, were originally scheduled to end on October 30. However, a spokesperson for the AU Commission explained on Monday that they were continuing and that“no date limit has been set for the talks”.
“As we end with victory in the war in the north, we must bring peace, development and prosperity to Ethiopia, so that those who are causing conflict among Ethiopians from afar feel ashamed”said the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, before the announcement of the agreement.
The toll of the conflict, marked by countless abuses and largely taking place behind closed doors, is unknown. The press does not have access to northern Ethiopia and communications there operate haphazardly, making independent verification impossible.