The Ethiopian government on Monday declared an immediate, unilateral cease-fire in the Tigray region after rebel fighters retook the regional capital, Mekelle, under their control, reported Al Jazeera.
The ceasefire announcement follows nearly eight months of deadly conflict that pushed hundreds of thousands of people to the brink of the worst famine crisis in a decade. The troops loyal to the dissident Tigray Defense Forces have reportedly entered Mekelle city. The residents reported seeing troops in Tigray regional uniforms in the city for the first time since November after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered an incursion into the northern region in response to an attack on a federal army base
“The capital of Tigray, Mekelle, is under our control,” Getachew Reda, spokesperson for the TPLF, confirmed to Reuters news agency by satellite phone.
The state media published the Ethiopian government’s ceasefire statement shortly after the Tigray interim administration, appointed by Prime Minister Abiy led government fled Mekele and called for a cease-fire on humanitarian grounds so that desperately needed aid could be delivered.
The cease-fire “will enable farmers to till their land, aid groups to operate without any military movement around and engage with remnants (of Tigray’s former ruling party) who seek peace,” the statement said.
The Ethiopian government said the cease-fire will last until the end of the crucial planting season in Tigray. The season’s end comes in September. All federal and regional authorities have been ordered to respect the cease-fire, which is crucial as authorities and fighters from the neighboring Amhara region have been accused of atrocities in western Tigray.
“The government has the responsibility to find a political solution to the problem,” Abraham Belay, the head of the interim administration, said in calling for the cease-fire.
He added that some elements within Tigray’s former ruling party are willing to engage with the federal government.
