The prolonged civil war in Ethiopia has left millions displaced and wounded, not to include the many thousands who have died. But to put an end to the unrest that has lasted almost two years, the Ethiopian government declared an immediate “humanitarian truce” with the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF).
According to the UN, since November, 2020, more than 5.5 million people in Tigray are “effectively sealed off from the outside world.” This includes communication and humanitarian aid.
The Federal Government Communication Service released a statement saying that the Ethiopian government “is committed to exert maximum effort to facilitate the free flow of emergency humanitarian aid into the Tigray region.” But in order to do this, the agency is calling “upon the insurgents in Tigray to desist from all acts of further aggression and withdraw from areas they have occupied in neighboring regions.”
There have been multiple attempts at making peace in the past few months, but talks of a cease fire would remain as talks. But now the federal government is now extending another olive branch for TPLF to cooperate in this truce. And TPLF’s response is showing its readiness to end this struggle, as echoed in its Twitter page. It assured the federal government of a cessation of hostilities.
“The government of Ethiopia hopes that this truce will substantially improve the humanitarian situation on the ground,” according to a statement made by the Federal Government Communication Service in a media briefing. The agency continued to say that it hopes this truce will “pave the way for the resolution of the conflict.”
While TPLF says it is willing to capitulate, it is also expressing its concerns over the federal government’s commitment to peace and humanitarian aid. TPLF has urged Ethiopian authorities “to go beyond empty promises and take concrete steps to facilitate unfettered humanitarian access to Tigray,” in a statement sent to AFP.
In a show of that willingness, the government has taken some steps by allowing daily flights from Addis Ababa to Mekele, the capital of Tigray. Several countries are in support of the steps taken by the federal government in trying to make peace, including Turkey and the U.S.
“The United States welcomes and strongly supports the declaration today by the Government of Ethiopia of an indefinite humanitarian truce,” Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken, says in a press statement. “The commitment to a cessation of hostilities should be a critical step towards the resumption and sustainment of humanitarian assistance to the people in Tigray and all Ethiopian regions and communities in need.”
While TPLF is urging the federal government to honor its word, the federal government is calling for the withdrawal of Tigrayan forces, who have been stationed in key border areas between Afar and Tigray. Perhaps one party is waiting for the other party to unclench its fist to have a clean handshake on the matter.
However, there may be a need for more than just two parties to do the unclenching. If there happens to be a successful truce with TPLF, there are still other groups in the conversation who may not be ready to give in yet.
There’s still a sub-group within the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) that is still claiming its right to the throne, a group that the government has called “OLF Shane.” A truce with TPLF may be bitter sweet – a final end to a two-year war, but the beginning of unknown oppositions.