Ethiopia’s Abiy promises full implementation of Tigray truce

In an address to the parliament on Tuesday, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said his government was ready to ‘honestly’ implement the ceasefire agreement signed between the federal government and TPLF leaders.

Mr Abiy said that now was not the time to address the issue of western Tigray which was occupied by forces from the neighbouring Amhara region at the beginning of the war in 2020.

The PM said there was no such thing as a good war or a bad peace, and that war was always bad even if you were winning.
He said the agreement was necessary to ensure that peace in the northern Tigray region is sustained.
He added ‘We took the first step. We have discussed, agreed, and signed. We must keep our word by making our promise to peace a reality,’

The truce was signed on 2 November following talks brokered by the African Union (AU). If truly implemented as vowed by premier, it will bring an end to the brutal two-year conflict which has left thousands dead, millions displaced, and hundreds of thousands facing famine.

A leading aid agency, the International Committee of the Red Cross, tweeted that their first convoy had reached Tigray’s capital, Mekelle, with urgent medical supplies which confrmed with the World Health Organization’s chief, Tedros Adhanom’s call for aid to be promptly delivered in the region