Tigrayan rebels and the Ethiopian government reached an understanding on Saturday to make it easier for “all those in need” in the war-torn area to receive prompt humanitarian aid.
The agreement was reached during discussions last week in Nairobi, Kenya, over the full implementation of a pact that the warring parties had signed 10 days earlier to put an end to the deadly two-year fighting in northern Ethiopia.
According to a joint statement, “the parties have committed to providing unimpeded humanitarian access to all those in need in Tigray and neighbouring territories.”
Field Marshal Berhanu Jula, the chief of staff of the Ethiopian Armed Forces, and General Tadesse Worede, the leader of the Tigray rebel forces, both signed the pact.
Olusegun Obasanjo, an African Union mediator, stated that the agreement took effect immediately.
According to the statement, the two parties have also agreed to form a joint committee to carry out the agreement to disarm combatants with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
The African Union Commission stated that as part of its overall efforts to put an end to the conflict and restore peace, security, and stability in Ethiopia, it “applauds the parties on these significant confidence-building measures and encourages them to continue towards the full implementation of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement.”
After fierce violence broke out again in late August, ending a five-month truce that had allowed some aid to reach Tigray, pressure from abroad for a ceasefire had been building.
Uncountable deaths
In particular, the Pretoria agreement calls for an end to hostilities, the return of aid, the restoration of federal control over Tigray, and the disarmament of TPLF forces.
Over two million people have been displaced from their homes as a result of the battle between the TPLF and pro-Abiy forces, who also include local militias and the Eritrean army, and untold numbers of murders and horrifying crimes including rape and killings have been reported.
The United States has estimated that up to 500,000 people have died, while Josep Borrell, the EU’s representative abroad, has said that more than 100,000 people may have perished.
All sides have been charged with violations by UN-backed investigators, but Addis Ababa has also been accused of using hunger as a weapon of war, accusations that have been refuted by Ethiopian officials.
Abiy said last week that his administration had obtained “100%” of what it desired in the peace talks despite its soldiers having made significant victories on the battlefield.
Redwan Hussein, Abiy’s national security adviser, tweeted that the ENDF (Ethiopian National Defence Force) controls 70% of Tigray.
Aid is pouring like never before, he claimed, mentioning that aircraft were being permitted and that 35 trucks of food and three trucks of medication had arrived in the vital city of Shire.
But Redwan’s claims have been refuted by the rebels and a Tigray-based aid worker.
Following the agreement on a cease-fire, the World Health Organization urged on Wednesday for a major entry of food and medication into Tigray, claiming that help had not yet been permitted.
“Treatable illnesses are taking the lives of many individuals.
Many individuals are perishing from malnutrition “Tigray-born Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the WHO, stated at a news conference.
In reaction to what he said were attacks by the organization on federal army barracks, Abiy—a Nobel Peace Prize winner—sent soldiers into Tigray on November 4, 2020, toppling the region’s ruling TPLF.
Abiy and the TPLF, which had controlled the national government for over three decades until he took office in 2018, had been at odds for months before the crisis broke out.
(AFP)
