Tigrayan rebels said Wednesday they have begun handing in their heavy weapons, a key part of a deal signed more than two months ago to end a deadly conflict in northern Ethiopia. The terms of the November 2 peace agreement include disarming rebel forces, restoring federal authority in Tigray and reopening access and communications to the region, which has been cut off from the outside world since mid-2021. “Tigray has handed over its heavy weapons as part of its commitment to implementing the #Pretoria agreement,” Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) spokesman Getachew Reda tweeted Wednesday, referring to the November 2 deal signed in the South African capital. A deal on the implementation of the agreement signed in Nairobi on November 12 said the disarmament of heavy Tigrayan weapons would take place at the same time as the withdrawal of foreign and non-federal forces. Humanitarian operations have been ramped up since the peace deal, but the amount of food and medical aid being delivered remains far below the enormous needs.

Source: Ethiopian News January 11, 2023 22:49 UTC