Ethiopia’s federal government said its forces would not move farther into Northern Tigray. The move occurred days after Tigrayan rebels proclaimed their withdrawal, and federal troops recaptured important cities north of Addis Ababa.
Even though no formal peace discussions have commenced, humanitarian organisations are optimistic that his recent declaration would lead to a possible cease-fire.
No one could have expected the numerous twists and turns of Ethiopia’s conflict, which has lasted more than a year.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, has gone from being an international hero for resolving his country’s 20-year struggle with Eritrea to directing front-line forces in battles against Tigrayan rebels since taking office in 2018.
The war in the nation begin on November 4, 2020, when Abiy Ahmed Aly, a Politician of Ethiopia and serving as a Prime Minister, continuously for the 4th time ordered a military response against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) after attacking the federal army’s Northern Command military bases.
There was a tense atmosphere of war between the federal government and the TPLF for a month. The TPLF interpreted Abiy’s initiatives to make peace with longtime foe Eritrea and promote ethnic variety to the top ranks of the Tigrayan-dominated federal army as provocations.
Abiy promised a quick offensive, and the insurrection appeared to be put down by early 2021, but Tigrayan forces retook their regional capital, Mekele, during the summer and made more advances.
The TPLF threatened to march on Addis Ababa last month before receding when federal soldiers retook crucial towns.
As per the U.S. Agency for International Development, since the conflict started, more than 1 million people have suffered and left their homes, and some 5.2 million people out of Tigray’s population of 6 million faced hunger.
Under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, Ethiopia was excluded from the United States duty-free trade agreement on December 24.
Ethiopian government have shown little interest in Western intervention, rejecting many international requests for a cease-fire.
The African Union’s efforts to broker a cease-fire have similarly yielded minimal results.
What happens in Ethiopia in 2022 will very certainly have repercussions across the Horn of Africa, making it a crucial place to monitor.
