The Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) have reached an agreement in Kenya for implementing the terms of a peace deal which includes the disarmament of rebel forces.
It comes a week after a peace deal was signed in Pertoria, South Africa after a week-long discussion in Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
Security advisor to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Redwan Hussien, said “the Declaration of Executive plan of the Pretoria peace agreement has just been signed. Again African Solutions for African problems have been upheld.”
Chief of the Ethiopian Defense Force, Field Marshal Berhanu Jula, and rebel force commander, Tadesse Worede, had been holding talks on the disarmament of TPLF forces restoration of social services, and flow of humanitarian aid to the Tigray region.
Former Nigerian President who is currently the African Union special envoy to the Horn of Africa, Olusegun Obasanjo, has hailed the commitment to peace from both sides. He was the chief facilitator of the talk.
The talks were initially intended to end on Wednesday.
Ethiopia’s Communication Services Ministry said that an agreement has been reached for TPLF combatants to disarm within a timeframe indicated in the agreement.
Leaked unofficial documents indicate that TPLF disarmament is to go hand in hand with the withdrawal of “Eritrean Forces and forces from Amhara region,” from the Tigray region.
Another key issue, based on the statement from the ministry, is that the Ethiopian Defense Forces take control of Mekelle.
According to the agreement, the Ethiopian Defense Force Mekelle, capital of Tigray region, is to take over within a week’s time.
MG/as/APA