The rebels in the northern Ethiopian region of Tigray and the government of Ethiopia agreed on Wednesday to end the bloody two-year battle. Observers speak of a huge diplomatic shift.
The agreement was reached through the mediation of the African Union, an organization of African countries.
Representatives of the Ethiopian government and Tigray insurgents initiated peace talks in the South African city of Pretoria more than a week ago. After the recent capture of some large cities in Tigray by government forces and their allies, the militias have shown their willingness to negotiate.
The war began when the government sent troops to Tigray to put down a revolt. The Tigray rebels dominated the Ethiopian ruling coalition with their political party for nearly 30 years, but lost their grip on power in 2018.
Millions of Ethiopians hit hard by the conflict
Recently, the declarations of the warring parties have given little cause for optimism. Rebel leader Debretsion Gebremichael threatened to “completely” defeat the enemy during the negotiations.
The Addis Ababa government has said it wants peace, but is still engaged in operations in the conflict area, supported by military personnel from neighboring Eritrea.
Meanwhile, in Tigray, six million people face shortages of food, medicine and other basic necessities. The conflict is estimated to have killed hundreds of thousands of people. The United States called the conflict one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.
