Saturday’s agreement followed talks in the Kenyan capital Nairobi this week to fully implement an accord signed between the warring sides 10 days ago to end a violent two-year conflict in northern Ethiopia. “The parties agreed to facilitate unhindered humanitarian access to those in need of assistance in Tigray and neighboring regions,” a joint statement said. The agreement was signed by Major General Berhanu Djola, Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian Armed Forces, and General Tadesse Worede, Supreme Commander of the Tigray Rebel Forces. African Union mediator Olusegun Obasango said the agreement had “immediate effect”. Keiredin Tezera, an Ethiopian lawmaker, told Al Jazeera that even before the agreement was reached on Saturday, aid was being sent to areas controlled by the army. “This agreement can further facilitate the delivery of aid not only to the Tigray region but also to the neighboring regions, which are also affected by the conflict,” he said. “This is big news for us and not only for all of Ethiopia but also for Africa… It is important beyond Ethiopia.” The two sides also agreed to set up a joint committee to implement the militant disarmament agreement with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the statement said. The African Union Commission said it “welcomes the parties for these important confidence-building measures and encourages them to continue towards the full implementation of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement as part of overall efforts to end the conflict and restore peace , security and stability in Ethiopia”. After just over a week of negotiations in the South African capital Pretoria, the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the TPLF signed a peace deal on November 2 that was hailed by the international community as a crucial first step in ending the bloodshed. The restoration of aid to Tigray and its six million inhabitants was one of the key points of the agreement. Ethiopia’s northernmost region faces a severe humanitarian crisis due to food and medicine shortages and limited access to basic services, including electricity, banking and communications.
Humanitarian suffering
Yohannes Abraha, the representative of the Tigray regional government in North America, said there has been a demand for an unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid to Tigray for a long time. “It has been a long time, since August, that there has been no humanitarian aid in Tigray,” he told Al Jazeera, adding that nothing has materialized even after the November 2 peace deal. Abraha said that among other reasons the dire situation on the ground contributed to the result. “A close engagement and pressure from the international community … helped bring this deal to fruition,” the spokesman added. The Pretoria agreement specifically calls for an end to hostilities, restoration of humanitarian aid, restoration of federal authority in Tigray and disarmament of TPLF fighters. Scene from the signing ceremony in Nairobi [Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP] The conflict between the TPLF and pro-Abiy forces, which includes regional militants and the Eritrean military, has caused an untold death toll, forced more than two million from their homes and led to reports of horrific abuses including rape and massacres. Estimates of casualties vary widely, with the United States saying half a million people have died, while European Union foreign envoy Josep Borrell said more than 100,000 people may have been killed. The UN-backed investigators have accused all sides of committing abuses, but also accused Addis Ababa of using starvation as a weapon of war – claims denied by Ethiopian authorities. Abiy said last week that his government, whose forces had made significant gains on the battlefield, had secured “100 percent” of what it had sought in the peace talks. On Friday, the government said its forces controlled 70 percent of Tigray and aid was being sent – claims immediately denied by Tigrayan rebels. Abiy, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, sent troops to Tigray in late 2020 to topple the TPLF, the region’s ruling party, in response to what the group said were attacks on federal army camps. The conflict capped months of ongoing tensions between Abiy and the TPLF that dominated the national government for nearly three decades until he took office in 2018.
