“The implementation is hopeful and we remain steadfast in our commitment to peace,” said Abiy on Sunday. The agreement documents stipulate that “Ethiopia shall have only one defense force” and the Tigray regional forces—with whom the conflict originated in 2020—shall disarm. Eritrean fighters, as well as ethnic Amhara who are operating in the Tigray region, also are expected to leave, according to Tigrayan representative Kindeya Gebrehiwot. “Peace needs courage.”Eritrean forces remain in Tigray despite last year’s acknowledgement from Asmara that they would be withdrawn. The tensions across the Eritrean-Ethiopian border span decades, with a hard-won 2018 peace deal between Abiy and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki overshadowed by the subsequent conflict in Tigray.

Source: Ethiopian News December 26, 2022 21:17 UTC