Ethiopia and Tigray: Cessation of Hostilities
Noriko Watanabe and Tomoko Hara
Modern Tokyo Times
Ethiopia and Tigray have agreed to the cessation of hostilities. Naturally, caution remains considering the role of Eritrea and the breaching of an earlier ceasefire. However, the latest agreement is more concrete.
The BBC stipulates, “This time though, the agreements have gone further. The Ethiopian government officials and representatives of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) have signed up to a disarmament plan and the restoration of crucial services, including aid supplies.”
Last month, the Ethiopian government information network said, “The ENDF (Ethiopian National Defence Force) has taken control of the towns of Shire, Alamata, and Korem without fighting in urban areas.”
Antonio Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General, said, “… a welcome first step, which we hope can start to bring some solace to the millions of Ethiopian civilians that have really suffered during this conflict.”
The Ethiopia and Tigray conflict witnessed other ethnic militias and the nation of Eritrea involving themselves in the war. Massacres of civilians and caught military fighters have happened on all sides – similar to other brutal wars.
Olusegun Obasanjo, the head of the African Union mediation team, uttered, “The two parties in the Ethiopian conflict have formally agreed to the cessation of hostilities as well as to systematic, orderly, smooth and coordinated disarmament.”
Obasanjo continued, “This moment is not the end of the peace process. Implementation of the peace agreement signed today is critical for its success.”
Lee Jay Walker (last month) said, “All parties to the conflict need to enter negotiations in good faith. Ethiopia needs peace in Tigray and other parts of the country blighted by ethnic and political tensions. Therefore, a mutually amicable agreement is needed to end this bloody war – based on genuine concessions by each side.”
Ethiopia and Tigray need to take further bold steps. However, the signed cessation of hostilities – and the promise of humanitarian aid throughout Tigray – is a firm start.
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