Source: Al Jazeera
Ethiopia said it was declaring ‘an indefinite humanitarian truce effective immediately’.
Published On 24 Mar 202224 Mar 2022
Ethiopia has announced an immediate ceasefire to its 16-month-long civil war, paving the way for aid to displaced people across the northern Tigray region.
In a statement on Thursday, the government said it was declaring “an indefinite humanitarian truce effective immediately”, saying it hoped to help hasten the delivery of emergency aid into the Tigray region, where hundreds of thousands face starvation.
“To optimise the success of the humanitarian truce, the government calls upon the insurgents in Tigray to desist from all acts of further aggression and withdraw from areas they have occupied in neighbouring regions,” the statement said.
Since November 2020, when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed deployed troops to Tigray, thousands of people have died, even as millions remain displaced.
Ethiopian troops and allied soldiers from neighbouring Eritrea have committed a litany of abuses including torture, weaponised rape and targeted killings of Tigrayans, according to human rights groups.
Rebel fighters loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) have also been accused of similar abuses.
FDRE Government Communication Service-በኢፌዴሪ የመንግስት ኮሙኒኬሽን አገልግሎት
Declaration of a Humanitarian Truce by the Government of Ethiopia
The Government of Ethiopia has been taking measures to expedite the provision of humanitarian aid to people in need in the Tigray region. To this end, it has increased the number of United Nations humanitarian flights and expedited through improved clearance procedures the delivery of fuel and cash for payments by aid organizations. Flights for ICRC, WHO and the European Union have been facilitated to deliver humanitarian aid. The Government has also been working to facilitate the provision of humanitarian assistance through the Abala-Mekelle route.
However, currently thousands from the Tigray region are trekking into neighboring regions in search of assistance. While it is heartening to see the fraternal bond and solidarity that is being demonstrated by communities that are receiving and helping those in need of assistance, the Government believes that the situation warrants urgent measures to ensure that those in need are able to receive aid in their localities. Alleviating the plight of those affected by the conflict is of the utmost priority and a responsibility that the Government takes seriously. The Government of Ethiopia is committed to exert maximum effort to facilitate the free flow of emergency humanitarian aid into the Tigray region.
Cognizant of the need to take extraordinary measures to save lives and reduce human suffering, the Government of Ethiopia hereby declares an indefinite humanitarian truce effective immediately. The Government calls upon the donor community to redouble their generous contributions to alleviate the situation and reiterates its commitment to work in collaboration with relevant organizations to expedite the provision of humanitarian assistance to those in need. The commitment being undertaken by the Government of Ethiopia could have the desired outcome of improving the humanitarian situation on the ground only to the extent that it is reciprocated by the other side. This decision is taken to ensure the free flow of emergency humanitarian aid to all those in need of assistance. To optimize the success of the humanitarian truce, the Government calls upon the insurgents in Tigray to desist from all acts of further aggression and withdraw from areas they have occupied in neighboring regions.
The Government of Ethiopia hopes that this truce will substantially improve the humanitarian situation on the ground and pave the way for the resolution of the conflict in the northern Ethiopia without further bloodshed.
Government communication service
Martin Plaut 
Dear Martin
For professional and personal reasons I try to follow the events in Ethiopia and particularly in Tigray as close as possible. No need to mention that you play a rather prominent role in my efforts to keep up with the developments in the Tigray Region. I appreciate your articles just as much as your appearance as expert tv programs, panels and interviews. I very much appreciate your expertise and I hope that you continue bringing the horrible situation in the Tigray Region to the attention of a broader public.
Regarding the announcement of the Ethiopian government and the respective article in Al Jazeera: Let us see. We’ve had similar announcements by the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate hundreds of times. Similar to Mr. Putin (maybe a valid candidate for the price for preventing a genocide in the east of the Ukraine), Mr. Abiy seems to be a notorious liar. And he always seems to get away with it.
Unfortunately the article doesn’t mention that Abiy’s announcement comes just a day after the visit of the US Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa, who made it clear that bringing aid to the people in Tigray is the actual top priority for the US government. I don’t think that this is just a coincidence.
Warm regards and thanks a lot for your work Andreas Oehry
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Thank you for your kind remarks. Best wishes. Martin
It is extremely difficult to believe what the PM says. He is already dubbed “Pathological Liar” by careful observers. Probably his intention is to pull troops into Oromiya to kill the Oromo en masse. May God save us from peril Save us God.