The Ethiopian government on Thursday declared an immediate, unilateral ceasefire in the conflict with the Tigray rebels. The government has also allowed emergency aid to go to the renegade Tigray region, several news agencies report. Because of the civil war in the area in the north of Ethiopia, the more than five million inhabitants are starving. The Ethiopian government speaks of a “humanitarian” ceasefire with no end date.
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In a statement, the Ethiopian government hopes that the ceasefire will “significantly improve the humanitarian situation” on the ground. Also, the ceasefire should be the way to “a solution to the conflict without bloodshed.” It is not known how the Tigray insurgents have reacted to the situation. The Tigres People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) has been engaged in a war with the Ethiopian army for more than a year.
According to UN estimates, 90 percent of the region’s residents need immediate food. The Ethiopian government has long held the position that emergency aid is allowed in the area, but attempts to do so have failed several times. The Ethiopian foreign minister has previously accused the UN and foreign aid workers of supplying weapons to authorities in Tigray, after which the supply of relief supplies came to a halt.
War
War has been raging in Tigray for months after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced a military invasion of the northern state. Abiy Ahmed – leader of the federal government in the country – had been at odds with the Tigres insurgents for some time. The five million Tigreeans have long been the most powerful ethnic group in the country with prominent positions in the military, politics and economy.
When the prime minister took power in 2018, he regularly criticized the Tigreeans who controlled the state. He has also removed several prominent figures from their positions. In protest, they joined the Tigres People’s Liberation Front, which is fighting against the Ethiopian army.