Tigray rebels turned over heavy weaponry to Ethiopia’s national army in the presence of a monitoring team comprised of officials from both sides and the regional Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
The ceremony took place in Agulae, a community 30 kilometers (19 miles) northeast of Mekelle, the provincial capital of Tigray.
“Both us and the TDF (Tigray Defense Forces) have moved from our respective defensive positions in peace, understanding, and love,” stated Aleme Tadesse, an Ethiopian army representative.
“We are all one Ethiopia,” he added.
“Tigray has turned up its heavy weaponry as part of its commitment to executing the #Pretoria agreement, and the Monitoring & Verification Team has validated it. We hope and anticipate that this will contribute significantly to the agreement’s full implementation. We hope and expect!” tweeted Getachew Reda, an adviser to the president of the Tigray regional administration.
Ethiopian government forces and Tigray rebels went to battle in November 2020 after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) attacked federal army outposts in the northern area.
After the two sides signed agreements in Pretoria and Nairobi in November last year, hostilities subsided.
Since November 2020, the Tigray violence has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions more.
A UN estimate issued late last year put the number of displaced individuals at 2.75 million, with 12.5 million children need immediate humanitarian help.