An Ethiopian government delegation visited Tigray’s capital city on Monday, to oversee the implementation of the peace agreement signed last month, reported The Reuters.
This is the first high-level federal delegation that has travelled to Tigray in two years, the government said on Monday.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the government communication service said the delegation, which is led by Tagesse Chafo, the speaker of the House of Representatives, will oversee the implementation of the main points of the peace agreement signed on November 2 with the Tigrayan rebel authorities to end a two year long war that killed tens of thousands.
The war began in November 2020, when Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered the federal army to arrest Tigrayan leaders who had been challenging his authority for months and whom he accused of attacking federal military bases.
The agreement provides for the disarmament of rebel forces, the re-establishment of federal authority in Tigray and the reopening of access to the region.
“This gesture is a proof that the peace agreement is on the right track and progressing,” the statement added.
The statement was accompanied with a photo of the delegation composed of about 20 people on an airport tarmac including the Prime Minister’s National Security Advisor Redwan Hussein, Justice Minister Gedion Timotheos, Transport and Communications Minister Dagmawit Moges and Industry Minister Melaku Alebel, Ethiopian Airlines CEO Mesfin Tassew and Ethio Telecom CEO Frehiwot Tamiru.
The fighting in the region has stopped since the signing of the deal, and food and medical aid has started to reach the war-torn Tigray region. As part of the deal, the rebel groups have pulled back 65% of their fighters from the front lines.
The rebel authorities and the Ethiopian government representatives have met several times since the signing of the agreement, including twice in the capital Nairobi.
After a meeting on Thursday, the two factions agreed on forming a ceasefire monitoring mechanism, which will also collect complaints of violations against civilians.
