Parties to war in Ethiopia's Tigray region agree to stop fighting - Reuters

PRETORIA, Nov 2 (Reuters) - The Ethiopian authorities and determination forces from Tigray agreed connected Wednesday to cease hostilities, a melodramatic diplomatic breakthrough 2 years into a warfare that has killed thousands, displaced millions and near hundreds of thousands facing famine.

Just implicit a week aft ceremonial bid talks mediated by the African Union (AU) began successful the South African superior Pretoria, delegates from some sides signed an statement described by an AU authoritative arsenic a "permanent cessation of hostilities".

"The 2 parties successful the Ethiopian struggle person formally agreed to the cessation of hostilities arsenic good arsenic to systematic, orderly, creaseless and coordinated disarmament," said Olusegun Obasanjo, caput of the AU mediation team, astatine a ceremony.

Obasanjo, a erstwhile Nigerian president, said the statement besides included "restoration of instrumentality and order, restoration of services, unhindered entree to humanitarian supplies, extortion of civilians".

An statement had not been expected truthful soon. Earlier connected Wednesday, the AU had invited media to what it described arsenic a briefing by Obasanjo. It was lone erstwhile the lawsuit began, astir 3 hours down schedule, that it became wide a truce was astir to beryllium signed.

"This infinitesimal is not the extremity of the bid process. Implementation of the bid statement signed contiguous is captious for its success," said Obasanjo, adding that this would beryllium supervised and monitored by a high-level AU panel.

He praised the process arsenic an African solution to an African problem.

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed expressed gratitude to Obasanjo and different mediators connected the decision of the bid talks, saying successful a connection the government's committedness to the implementation of the statement was strong.

"Our committedness to bid remains steadfast. And our committedness to collaborating for the implementation of the statement is arsenic strong," the connection connected Twitter said.

Ethiopian authorities typical Redwan Hussien, who is Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's National Security Adviser, said each parties should beryllium existent to the missive and tone of the agreement.

In response, Tigray delegate Getachew Reda, a spokesperson for the determination authorities, spoke of the wide standard decease and demolition successful the portion and said it was his anticipation and anticipation that some parties would honour their commitments.

In Washington, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said the United States remained committed to supporting an African-led bid process for Ethiopia.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the truce, according to U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.

"It is precise overmuch a invited archetypal step, which we anticipation tin commencement to bring immoderate solace to the millions of Ethiopian civilians that person truly suffered during this conflict," Dujarric told reporters.

BLOCKADE

Troops from Eritrea, a abstracted state which borders Tigray, arsenic good arsenic forces from different Ethiopian regions, person taken portion successful the struggle connected the broadside of the Ethiopian army.

Neither Eritrea nor the determination forces participated successful the talks successful South Africa and determination was nary notation astatine Wednesday's ceremonial of whether they would abide by the truce.

The warfare stems from a catastrophic breakdown successful relations betwixt the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), a guerrilla question turned governmental enactment which dominated Ethiopia for 27 years, and Abiy, who was erstwhile portion of their ruling conjugation but whose assignment successful 2018 ended the TPLF’s dominance.

Escalating tensions successful 2018-20, including implicit Abiy's bid woody with the TPLF's sworn force Eritrea, and the TPLF's determination to defy him by holding determination elections successful Tigray that helium had postponed nationwide, tipped the feuding parties into war.

Wednesday's statement does not code the deeper governmental tensions that contributed to the conflict.

The AU said successful a connection it stood acceptable to proceed accompanying the Ethiopian bid process "towards a much democratic, conscionable and inclusive Ethiopia successful which youth, women and men enactment afloat and successful peace".

The TPLF has accused Abiy of centralising powerfulness astatine the disbursal of the regions and oppressing Tigrayans, which helium denies, portion Abiy has accused the TPLF of seeking to instrumentality to powerfulness astatine the nationalist level, which it rejects.

The United Nations says the warfare has led to a de facto blockade of Tigray that has lasted adjacent to 2 years, with humanitarian supplies of nutrient and medicines unable to get done astir of the time.

Some assistance supplies did get delivered to Tigray betwixt March and August this twelvemonth during a impermanent ceasefire which broke down successful August, but the World Health Organization said past week Tigray had tally retired of vaccines, antibiotics and insulin.

It said wellness facilities were resorting to utilizing saline solutions and rags to dainty and formal wounds.

The authorities has consistently denied blocking assistance and has said it was distributing nutrient and restoring energy and different services to areas nether its control.

Human rights violations by each sides successful the war, including extra-judicial killings, raping, looting and displacing radical by force, person been documented by U.N. bodies, Ethiopia's state-appointed quality rights commission, autarkic assistance groups and media including Reuters.

All sides person denied the allegations.

Reporting by Alexander Winning and Tim Cocks; Additional reporting by Ayenat Mersie successful Nairobi, Michelle Nichols successful New York, Jeff Mason and Jarrett Renshaw successful Washington, Writing by Estelle Shirbon Editing by James Macharia Chege, William Maclean

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