Ethiopia announces ceasefire in Tigray conflict region
Ethiopia has announced an immediate ceasefire with rebel forces in the northern conflict region of Tigray, according to a government statement on Monday.
The central government accepted a
ceasefire offer from the interim administration in the Tigray region, it said.
"[The ceasefire] will enable farmers to till
their land, aid groups operate without any military movement around and engage
with TPLF [Tigray People's Liberation Front] remnants who seek peace," the
statement said.
The ceasefire will last until the
end of the harvest season, it said. The harvest season is due to end in
September.
The announcement came as a
surprise to many observers.
According to unofficially
confirmed reports on Twitter, representatives of the Ethiopian central
government left Mekelle, the capital of Tigray, in a hurry.
TPLF rebels have reportedly
already taken up positions in the city. Independent verification of the reports
was not immediately possible.
In November, the government in
Addis Ababa had started a military offensive against the TPLF, which until then
had been in power in Tigray in northern Ethiopia.
There have been tensions between
the TPLF and the central government for years.
In the meantime, other actors have
become involved, including Eritrean troops and militias.
Hundreds of thousands of people in
Tigray depend on humanitarian aid, but aid organizations have not had full
access to all those in need for a long time because of the security situation
and bureaucratic hurdles.
