ADDIS ABABA – A delegation of Ethiopian federal government officials on Monday headed to Mekele, the rebel-held capital of the country’s Tigray region.
The trip, which came after a permanent cessation of hostilities agreement signed on Nov. 2 between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which now controls the northernmost region, is the first by a federal government delegation since conflict erupted back in November 2020.
The delegation, led by Tagesse Chafo, speaker of the Ethiopian House of People’s Representatives, is expected to oversee the implementation of major provisions in the peace agreement, the Ethiopian Government Communications Service said in a statement.
“The delegation is the first of its stature as a high-level federal government body heading to Mekele in two years,” the statement said.
Early last month, the two parties in the Ethiopian conflict formally agreed to the cessation of hostilities and orderly disarmament.
The deal also includes restoring law and order, restoring services, and unhindered access to humanitarian supplies.
Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous nation, has seen a devastating conflict between government-allied troops and forces loyal to the TPLF for the past two years, which left thousands dead and millions in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
– Xinhua News