The warring parties in Ethiopia, including the government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, have signed a cessation of hostilities under the auspices of the African Union. “We applaud the parties for their commitment to peace and reaching this agreement,” declared State Department spokesperson Ned Price.
“The United States remains committed to supporting this African Union-led process and to partnering to advance peace in northern Ethiopia. . . .We’ve invested so heavily in this process because we believe it’s the most opportune and effective mechanism through which to achieve a cessation of hostilities, to help enable the delivery of much needed humanitarian assistance to the people of northern Ethiopia, to the people of Tigray.”
Along with the violence that has raged in recent weeks, “we’ve seen reports of human rights abuses and atrocities,” said spokesperson Price. “It’s our hope that” this cessation of hostilities “will see an end to those reports and ultimately the underlying abuses and atrocities that we’ve seen.”
The United States commends the parties for taking this initial step to agree to end the fighting and continue dialogue to resolve outstanding issues to consolidate peace and bring an end to almost two years of conflict. We welcome the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance and the protection of civilians that should result from implementation of this agreement.
The United States remains a committed partner to this AU-led process and to our collaboration with the UN, IGAD, and other regional and international partners to support implementation of this agreement. We welcome the statement of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy expressing gratitude to the AU and share our support for his desire for an enhanced partnership to support reconstruction and development for all communities in northern Ethiopia affected by the conflict.
The United States will continue to support the implementation of the November 2 cessation of hostilities and efforts to achieve a lasting peace. Work remains, but progress is promising and gives the Ethiopian people reason for hope.
Cessation of Hostilities in Ethiopia
The warring parties in Ethiopia, including the government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, have signed a cessation of hostilities under the auspices of the African Union.
