Big changes are underway in Tigray, which is part of Ethiopia. There was a war there for almost two years, but now the capital’s Mekele airport has seen moments of joy and movement. Residents of the area who fled the war are returning to their homes.
Kahssay Hailu returned from Addis Ababa to Mekele on the first available flight.
– I haven’t seen my husband and my daughter, who graduated from her studies, for 18 months. I got stuck in Addis Ababa. I pray that the peace will last. That’s all, said Kahssay Hailu in an interview with the news agency Reuters on the field in Mekele.
Business travel and other tourism is rapidly becoming more active. Air connections have been opened to more than 30 cities. Banks have also opened their branches, the demand for hotel rooms is expected to pick up soon.
The background is the ceasefire agreement negotiated in Pretoria, South Africa at the beginning of November. The other negotiator is the Ethiopian government, whose prime minister Abiy Ahmed received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018 (you move to another service).
He has been praised for reforming his homeland and making peace with long-time arch-enemy Eritrea. Tigray, where the government forces have been fighting against a region demanding stronger self-government, has been a thorn in the image of a peacebuilder.
Tigray has an Amhara majority. The Amhara make up ten percent of Ethiopia’s population. The fighting started in 2020 when regional elections were held in Tigray against the orders of the federal government.
– The moment for negotiations was right, the parties were ready for negotiations. There was pressure from international actors such as the EU and the United States and solidarity from neighboring countries, says the head of the African Union’s peace mediation unit, who visited Helsinki at the beginning of December Mukondeleli Mpeiwa.
According to Mpeiwa, no government can ignore the well-being and situation of the entire population. The decisive factor was the deterioration of the humanitarian situation. Then political differences of opinion must be put aside. During the conflict, two million people left Tigray for other parts of Ethiopia or neighboring countries such as Sudan.
– The prime minister of Ethiopia or the prime minister of any other country cannot represent a single group or interest, the AU representative says in response to the question why the prime minister was ready right now to stop armed actions against one federal territory.
Eritrean troops still in the area
According to eyewitnesses interviewed by the Reuters news agency, the Eritrean troops have withdrawn at least from Shire and Aksum at the end of the year.
Eritrean forces have been fighting alongside Ethiopian government forces for two years. However, their status is not mentioned in the ceasefire agreement, although it says that foreign troops should withdraw from Tigray.
Ethiopia is not a party to the agreement. According to the agreement, heavy weaponry will be collected from the fighters and federal police forces will be strengthened in the Tigray region.
Eritrea has had desires to weaken the position of Tigray. Troops have been used to defeat TPLF forces for months.
The AU representative did not have information on the number of troops to be inspected in the area.
– The AU does not have a mandate to intervene with foreign troops, but I believe that all African states want to find African solutions and monitor the implementation of the agreement.
Some hate speech rages in Tigrays
There have been reports of abuses and looting in Tigray even after the signing of the ceasefire agreement. The head of the peace mediation unit of the African Union, Mukondeleli Mpeiwa, says that Tigray has been discussed very lively on social media. The hate speech has been very raw and furious.
– Weeding out fake news and fact-checking is essential. Thus, allegations of abuse can be checked.
AU’s monitoring system was not yet operational at the time of the interview in mid-December. According to Mpeiwa, both sides have a genuine desire to stabilize the situation.
– Restoring peace and trust will take time. Now all actors must be involved. The return of flights and the opening of schools are signs of normalcy.
The food situation is relatively good in Mukondeleli Mpeiwa. There are food warehouses both in Mekele and elsewhere. It must be distributed to those in need. At most, up to seven million people were in need of food aid.
He says he visited Tigray several times during the two years of the war. In November, life seemed to return somewhat to normal. The streets were full of people and cars.
In Oromia, the atmosphere is tightening
The next possible crisis center in Africa’s second most populous Ethiopia, with 110 million inhabitants, seems to be in the developing Oromia, where the capital is also located. Dozens of people have been killed in clashes between local armed forces and special forces of the Oromia regional government in Kiramu region.
– The ceasefire agreement is the basis on which broader negotiations can be held in Tigray. The AU encourages dialogue. War costs all parties. It harms the economy and people’s livelihood.