Tigray & Addis Ababa agreement: Humanitarian access to all in need
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The African Union announces that the authorities of Ethiopia and Tigray reached a deal to facilitate unhindered humanitarian access to all in need.
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Chief of Staff of Ethiopian Armed Forces Field Marshall Birhanu Jula, left, and Head of the Tigray Forces Lieutenant General Tadesse Werede, right, exchange signed copies of an agreement, at Ethiopian peace talks in Nairobi, Kenya Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022.(AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Humanitarian aid will reach "all in need" according to an agreement reached today between the authorities of Ethiopia and Tigray.
The Ethiopian government and Tigray People's Liberation Fron (TPLF) announced earlier in November that they agreed on settling their dispute which has crippled Ethiopia over the past two years.
The negotiations, brokered by the African Union, between the two parties initially took place in South Africa where "cessation of hostilities" was agreed upon, and then concluded in Kenya's capital Nairobi a few days later.
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The TPLF has long insisted that before beginning the dialogue, basic services would have to be restored to the region.
"The parties have agreed to facilitate unhindered humanitarian access to all in need of assistance in Tigray and neighboring regions, facilitate the unhindered movement of humanitarian aid workers, provide security guarantees for humanitarian aid workers and organizations as well as protection of civilians," a statement released by the African Union said.
According to the agreement, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) is to be disarmed which will be implemented and monitored by a joint committee to be established.
The African Union Commission announced that it "applauds the parties on these significant confidence-building measures and encourages them to continue towards the full implementation of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, as part of overall efforts to end the conflict and restore peace, security and stability in Ethiopia."
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On August 24, fighting commenced between the TPLF and Addis Ababa, after nearly a 5-month-truce since march, with both sides blaming the other for firing first and violating the truce.
The most recent round of fighting began near Tigray's southern border but later expanded to areas west and north of the initial confrontations, while the TPLF accused Ethiopian and Eritrean forces of launching a large coordinated onslaught on Tigray on September 1.
The delivery of humanitarian aid by road and air has also been completely interrupted since the fighting resumed. This return to hostilities "is already affecting the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable people, including the delivery of vital humanitarian assistance" in Afar, Amhara, and Tigray, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on September 9.
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