'Hope and calm' in Ethiopia's Tigray as flights resume and services restored

Humanitarian aid flows and rebels hand over weapons after two years of war with government

Redwan Hussien Rameto, second left, representative of the Ethiopian government, and Getachew Reda, second right, representative of the Tigray People's Liberation Front, sign a peace agreement regarding the African Union-led negotiations to resolve conflict in Ethiopia at the Department of International Relations and Co-operation offices in Pretoria, South Africa. AFP

Representatives from Ethiopia and representatives from Tigray attend a press conference. AFP

Redwan Hussien Rameto, representative of the Ethiopian government. AFP

Getachew Reda, representative of the Tigray People's Liberation Front. AFP

Former Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta, left, arrives for peace talks between the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan People's Liberation Front. AFP

Youngsters walk next to an abandoned tank south of the town of Mehoni, Ethiopia. AFP

The airport in Bahir Dar, the capital city of the Amhara region of northern Ethiopia. AP

Protestors outside the Emirates stadium in London raise awareness of conflict in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. Reuters

UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi, centre, speaks with Clementine Nkweta-Salami, right, UNHCR regional bureau director for the East, Horn and Great Lakes regions of Africa. AP Photo

A destroyed tank is seen in a field in the aftermath of fighting between the Ethiopian National Defence Force and the Tigray People's Liberation Front forces in Kasagita town, in Afar region, Ethiopia. Reuters

Ethiopians protest at a rally organised by the city administration against what they say is interference by outsiders in the country's internal affairs and against the Tigray People's Liberation Front, the party of Tigray's fugitive leaders, in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa. AP Photo

A man waves an Ethiopian flag as he join others gathering in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia during a demonstration in support of Ethiopia armed forces. AFP

A satellite image shows the deployment of heavy weaponry in the town of Serha, Eritrea, near the border with Ethiopia's Tigray region. Reuters

A man gestures as he shouts during a protest at the Embassy of the United States of America in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. AFP

Workers from the International Committee of the Red Cross deliver lifesaving medical supplies into Mekelle, Tigray region, Ethiopia. Reuters

Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, left, meets with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres at the UN headquarters. AP Photo

A convoy of trucks part of the World Food Programme (WFP) on their way to Tigray are seen in the village of Erebti, Ethiopia. The Afar region, the only passageway for humanitarian convoys bound for Tigray, is itself facing a serious food crisis, due to the combined effects of the conflict in northern Ethiopia and the drought in the Horn of Africa which have notably caused numerous population displacements. More than a million people need food aid in the region according to the World Food Programme. AFP

Captive Ethiopian soldiers arrive at the Mekele Rehabilitation Centre in Tigray, Ethiopia, after a four-day journey from Abdi Eshir. All photos: AFP

Women welcome Tigray People's Liberation Front fighters as they return to Mekele after seizing control of the city in June 2021.

Ethiopians who fled the Tigray conflict wait to charge their phones at Um Raquba refugee camp in Gedaref, Sudan.

A member of the Afar Special Forces stands in front of the debris of a house on the outskirts of the village of Bisober in Tigray.

People hold candles and Ethiopian flags at a memorial service for the victims of the Tigray conflict in Addis Ababa.

An Ethiopian refugee who fled fighting in Tigray waits behind a fence in a camp in Sudan.

Refugees living in a camp in Sudan after fleeing violence in Tigray.

A woman walks among the remains of a destroyed factory in Ataye, Ethiopia, where more than 100 civilians died in a recent flare-up of violence.

Two members of the Amhara militia ride in the back of a pick-up truck. Amharas and Tigrayans were uneasy neighbours before the current fighting, with tension over land sparking violent clashes.

Militias from the Amhara region have been involved in the fighting in Tigray.

Tens of thousands of Ethiopians gather at a rally organised by the mayor of Addis Ababa to show support for the military's efforts in Tigray.

Zeleke Alabachew, farmer and militia fighter, tends to his land near the village of Tekeldengy, Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation.

People celebrate the liberation of opposition leaders in the city of Alamata, Ethiopia.

A family fleeing violence sit in a former classroom at May Weyni secondary school, now hosting 10,500 displaced people, in Mekele, capital of Tigray.

Ethiopian refugees travel to Sudan to escape violence in Tigray.

Ethiopian refugees gather to celebrate the 46th anniversary of the Tigray People's Liberation Front at Um Raquba refugee camp in Gedaref, Sudan. The TPLF dominated Ethiopian politics before being ousted from their regional stronghold last year.

An Ethiopian refugee sets up a tent in a camp in the town of Gedaref, Sudan, after being transported from the border reception centre.

Pro-Tigrayan demonstrators display placards during a protest in front of the chancellery in Berlin.

The aftermath of heavy shelling in Wukro, a city north of Mekele, in Ethiopia.

The streets of Tigray's capital Mekelle are busy and civilian life is returning to normal after the resumption of basic services, an official said.

With humanitarian activities “stepped up”, commercial flights resumed and basic services improving, “hope and calm” have been brought to Tigray, East African regional group IGAD official Mohamed Ali Guyo told The National.

“Banking, electricity, water and telecommunications are being restored, and the air link between Mekelle and Addis Ababa, which has been down since the war began in 2020, is now up and running,” said the Special Envoy for the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Somalia, who was in Mekelle in December.

IGAD is behind a November 2 peace deal that saw Tigray People's Liberation Front rebels begin to hand over their weapons on Tuesday after a monitoring and verification process began recently to oversee the ceasefire.

The war began in November 2020 after the Ethiopian government sent troops to Tigray to dismantle the rebel group which it accused of launching attacks on federal army camps.

“Key officers from Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria will report on any violation of the ceasefire,” Mr Guyo said.

Next steps

The war between the TPLF and Ethiopian government under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has been devastating, displacing over two people million, causing thousands of refugees to pour into neighbouring Sudan and rendering 2.3 million people in need of assistance, aid groups say.

The November deal signed in South Africa's administrative capital Pretoria requires rebels to disarm and be reintegrated into society.

“We will continue peace implementation and peace-building,” Mr Guyo said.

However, deputy Africa director of Human Rights Watch Carine Kaneza Nantulya said a close eye must be kept on the overall process, after numerous accounts of sexual violence and looting were reported.

“International scrutiny will be key to ensuring that the warring parties, which have committed widespread abuses, don't prolong the harm to the civilian population,” Ms Nantulya said shortly after the deal was signed.

With reporting from AFP