In talks sponsored by the African Union (AU) and, significantly, not by the US or the European Union, there has been a resolution of the bitter internal conflict in Ethiopia between the central government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the ruling party in the Ethiopian regional state of Tigray, which threatened to tear the country apart. That conflict has been fully resolved through the Pretoria Agreement, which began last November with a ceasefire followed by a peaceful agreement to fully normalize relations between the Tigray region and the central government.
On April 23, Ethiopia celebrated the conclusion of this agreement under the theme “Enough with War – Let’s Celebrate Peace.” Organized by the Ethiopian government, its aim was to give recognition to all those involved in making the agreement a reality. These individuals included International Relations and Cooperation Minister of South Africa Naledi Pandor, former Nigerian President and AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa Olusegun Obasanjo, former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat, and Executive Secretary of IGAD Workneh Gebeyehu. Among others attending were members of the AU High Level Panel and members of the diplomatic community.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen, senior officials, and Chief Administrator of the Tigray Interim Administration Getachew Reda also attended the event.
In their keynote speeches, Naledi Pandor, Uhuru Kenyatta, and Olesegun Obasanjo praised the peace process as an epitome of the principle of African Solutions to African Problems.
Since the signing of the agreement last November, various of the most important articles have been implemented, including the release of imprisoned Tigray leaders. In fact the above-mentioned Tigray Interim Administrator, Getachew Reda, had been the official spokesman for the TPLF throughout the war. Ethiopian troops have withdrawn from Tigray and the administration has been turned over to the local TLF authorities. The only problem remains with neighboring Eritrea, which has not withdrawn from certain areas in Tigray—part of Ethiopian territory—which it had occupied during the conflict.
It should be noted that the TPLF was not seeking to secede from Ethiopia but had been in political conflict before the war over national issues and the rights of their regional state constitution. In effect it was a power struggle that has finally been resolved—not only despite the fact, but probably because no western government or international organization was involved.
Another important development is that peace negotiations have begun in Tanzania between the Ethiopian government and the Oromo Liberation Army, which had launched military operations in the Ethiopian state of Oromo at the same time that the war began in Tigray. Those talks hopefully will be successful.
