According to the African Union (AU), the parties to the Tigray conflict in Ethiopia, which has been going on for two years, have agreed to a ceasefire. Both sides had agreed to a “cessation of hostilities,” AU broker Olusegun Obasanjo said Wednesday after days of peace talks in South Africa. The conflicting parties also agreed on a “systematic and coordinated disarmament”.
The rebel group TPLF, which governs the Ethiopian region of Tiray, spoke of a “new beginning” and said it had made “concessions” in the peace talks.
Huge humanitarian crisis caused
The Tigray conflict began in November 2020 with an offensive by the Ethiopian armed forces after the TPLF repeatedly questioned the authority of the central government.
The fighting caused a massive humanitarian crisis. At least two million people are displaced. According to an American estimate, about half a million people died in the conflict. A five-month ceasefire had sparked hopes for a negotiated solution, but fighting flared up again in late August. (AFP/chs)