Family In Ethiopia Separated By The Civil War Are Finally Reuniting After 18 Months Following A Peace Deal
Families in Ethiopia are reuniting after being separated for more than 18 months due to the civil war between the Ethiopian government and Tigray forces.
Families in Ethiopia are reuniting after being separated for more than 18 months due to the civil war between the Ethiopian government and Tigray forces.
Commercial flights resumed between the capital, Addis Ababa, and Tigray’s capital, Mekelle, on Dec. 28 after the two sides signed a peace deal on Nov. 2, a day before the war’s two-year anniversary.
After escalating tensions, the fighting first erupted on Nov. 3, 2020, between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and an alliance led by prime minister Abiy Ahmed.
The TPLF had dominated Ethiopian politics for almost 30 years, and Abiy had sought to diminish its power after his election in 2018.
The Tigray War has led to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
The conflict forced at least 2.4 million people from their homes and left an estimated 13 million people in need of humanitarian assistance as of June 2022, according to the UN.
Both sides have been accused of war crimes, including extrajudicial killings, ethnic cleansing and sexual violence.
On Nov. 2, the two parties signed a deal for a “permanent cessation of hostilities,” which would allow for humanitarian aid to resume.
However, the agreement does not address the deeper political tensions that contributed to the war, Reuters reported.
Former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo who mediated the talks called it the beginning of the peace process.
