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Ex-Nigerian President Obasanjo-led AU peace talks brokers truce between Ethiopia, Tigray rebels

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The African Union mediation team led by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has successfully brokered a truce between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) as both parties have agreed to a permanent ceasefire.

The peace deal was sealed on Wednesday after a meeting held in South Africa involving representatives from the warring factions, Obasanjo, who is the African Union chief mediator for the Horn of Africa, former Kenyan leader Uhuru Kenyatta and a former South African vice president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, as part of the mediation team.

The agreement was reached after the peace talks which lasted over a week with a dramatic diplomatic breakthrough which will see an end to a two-year war that has killed hundreds of thousands, displaced millions and left more thousands facing famine.

The announcement of the truce was made by Obasanjo who initiated the peace talks between the two sides.

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“The two parties in the Ethiopian conflict have formally agreed to the cessation of hostilities as well as to systematic, orderly, smooth and coordinated disarmament,” Obasanjo said.

“This moment is not the end of the peace process. Implementation of the peace agreement signed today is critical for its success,” the former Nigerian leader added.

Ethiopia‘s Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, who expressed gratitude to Obasanjo and other mediators on the conclusion of the peace talks, said in a statement that his government’s commitment to the implementation of the agreement was strong.

“Our commitment to peace remains steadfast. And our commitment to collaborating for the implementation of the agreement is equally strong,” the statement on Twitter said.

Getachew Reda, spokesman of the TPLF on his part, said it was his hope and expectation that both parties would honour their commitments so that the wide scale death and destruction in the region will come to an end.

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