Tigrayan rebel groups on Tuesday began handing over heavy weaponry to the Ethiopian army, as part of an African Union-led peace process, reported The Reuters.
The handover, which took place in Agulae town, around 30 kilometers northeast of Mekelle, was overseen by a monitoring team comprising members of the two factions and a regional body, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
At the ceremony, Tigrayan rebel forces’ representative Mulugeta Gebrechristos said the beginning of the disarmament would play a crucial role in restoring peace in the war-torn region where hundreds of thousands of people were killed.
“Tigray has handed over its heavy weapons as part of its commitment to implementing the #Pretoria agreement” that was signed between Ethiopia’s government and Tigrayan rebels, Tigray People’s Liberation Front spokesperson Getachew Reda tweeted Wednesday.
“We hope & expect this will go a long way in expediting the full implementation of the agreement. We hope & expect!”
The Tigray rebel troops’ demobilization is one of the key conditions outlined in the November ceasefire agreement, alongside the resumption of humanitarian aid, the restoration of services, and the withdrawal of Eritrean troops.
The conflict that began in November 2020 resulted in famine-like conditions, killed thousands and displaced millions of people across northern Ethiopia. The fighting between the two factions has stopped since November’s peace deal. The rebels now claim that they have disengaged 65 percent of their troops from the front lines.
The ceasefire deal calls for the disarmament of heavy Tigrayan weapons alongside the withdrawal of foreign and non-federal forces.
Notably, Eritrea backed the Ethiopian army in the war but did not participate in the Pretoria peace talks. As per reports, Eritrean soldiers have pulled out of many major towns in Tigray late last month but they have not completely left Tigrayan territory. They are accused of looting, rape, executions, and abductions of civilians.
