Ethiopia on Thursday declared a unilateral ceasefire in Tigray to allow the entry of aid into the war-torn region. However, it is not clear how the government plans to enforce the ceasefire, as the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) rebels have yet to indicate whether or not they will cooperate with Addis Ababa’s decision.
A statement released by the government’s communication service said that as part of its efforts to provide humanitarian aid to the people of Tigray, the government has declared an “indefinite humanitarian truce effective immediately.” The statement mentioned that the decision was taken “to ensure the free flow of emergency humanitarian aid to all those in need of assistance.”
In this respect, Ethiopia urged the donor community to use the period of truce to “redouble their generous contributions to alleviate the situation.” It added that the humanitarian situation in Tigray will improve only if the international community acts as soon as possible.
The statement said that the government has taken a set of measures to help expedite the provision of aid to the region during this period. Addis Ababa has allowed an increase in the number of United Nations (UN) humanitarian flights and taken steps to improve clearance procedures to facilitate the delivery of aid into Tigray.
However, the rebels are yet to comment on Addis Ababa’s announcement and hence it is not clear how the government plans to carry out the truce without the TPLF’s cooperation. In this respect, Ethiopia asked the TPLF “to desist” from all acts of violence and “withdraw from areas they have occupied in neighbouring regions.”
Furthermore, the government said that it hopes the declaration of ceasefire will “pave the way for the resolution of the conflict” in Tigray “without further bloodshed.”
The decision follows increasing pressure on Ethiopia by the international community to allow the entry of aid into Tigray. Ethiopia has been accused of deliberately trying to cut off aid into a region where millions are facing a severe humanitarian crisis. The UN has even accused the government of using food as a weapon of war and manufacturing a hunger crisis that has left millions on the brink of starvation.
Against this backdrop, the latest decision by Ethiopia was welcomed by the international community. United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Washington “strongly supports” the declaration of a truce. “We expect this declaration to be quickly followed by the movement of life-saving assistance,” he added. Blinken also urged all parties “to build on this announcement to advance a negotiated and sustainable ceasefire, including necessary security arrangements.”
The UK welcomes the Government of Ethiopia’s decision to announce an indefinite humanitarian truce, and to ensure unimpeded access of aid into Tigray. We call on Tigrayan authorities to reciprocate.
— UK in Ethiopia 🇬🇧 (@UKinEthiopia) March 24, 2022
We stand ready to support the Government’s efforts to scale up the response.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that he hoped the decision “will translate into an effective cessation of hostilities” and allow for greater humanitarian access to the beleaguered people of Tigray. The truce was also welcomed by the United Kingdom and Canada.
Ethiopia has been in the middle of a severe humanitarian and political crisis since November 2020, when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered a military response to an attack on a federal army camp in Tigray by the TPLF, which was declared as a “terrorist” organisation by the Ethiopian parliament last year. The fighting quickly boiled over into a full-scale armed invasion by Ethiopian troops, who partnered with Eritrean soldiers in their operation.
The conflict in Tigray has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced over two million, and has witnessed grave human rights violations, including mass killings, rapes, and deliberate starvation. Both the Ethiopian government and the TPLF have been accused of committing atrocities.