As of: 29.06.2021 02:23 a.m.
After months of fighting, the Ethiopian government has announced an immediate ceasefire in the embattled Tigray region. It should initially apply until the end of the harvest season. The UN wants to deal with the situation as soon as possible.
After months of violence, the Ethiopian government has announced a ceasefire in the embattled northern region of Tigray. The ceasefire should apply immediately, it said in a message in the evening. The interim government in Mekelle, the capital of Tigray, had previously spoken out in favor of a ceasefire.
The announcement came as a surprise to many observers. According to reports on Twitter that have not been officially confirmed, representatives of the Ethiopian central government are said to have left the city in a hurry. Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) rebels have reportedly taken positions in the city. An independent review of the reports was not possible at the moment.
Truce initially until the end of the harvest season
The Ethiopian government said the ceasefire should allow farmers in Tigray to cultivate their fields and allow humanitarian organizations to work freely in Tigray. The ceasefire should initially apply until the end of the harvest season.
The UN Security Council should deal with the subject of Tigray. The US, UK and Ireland requested a meeting of the most powerful UN body on Monday. According to diplomats, a day for the meeting has not yet been set. UN Secretary General António Guterres phoned Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, according to the United Nations. Guterres then announced that he hoped for an end to the fighting. The situation in Tigray is “extremely worrying”.
Humanitarian disaster
In November, the government in Addis Ababa began a military offensive against the TPLF, which until then had been in power in the region of the same name in northern Ethiopia. The background to this were years of tensions between the TPLF and the central government. Other actors are now involved, including Eritrean troops and militias.
Hundreds of thousands of people in Tigray are dependent on humanitarian aid, however, due to the security situation and bureaucratic hurdles, aid organizations have not had full access to all those in need for a long time.