The warring sides in Ethiopia announced Wednesday an agreement to silence their guns after two years of devastating conflict that have claimed thousands of lives and left millions needing aid in Africa's second most populous country.

The surprise deal between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government and Tigrayan rebels was unveiled after little over a week of negotiations led by the African Union in South Africa and was hailed by the UN and the US among others.

"We have agreed to permanently silence the guns and end the two years of conflict in northern Ethiopia," the government and Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) said in a joint statement after marathon talks.

The breakthrough was announced by the African Union's mediator, former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo, almost exactly two years to the day since the war erupted in November 2020.

"Today is the beginning of a new dawn for Ethiopia, for the Horn of Africa and indeed for Africa as a whole," he said.

"The two parties in the Ethiopian conflict have formally agreed to the cessation of hostilities as well as the systematic, orderly, smooth and coordinated disarmament," Obasanjo said at a briefing in Pretoria.

They also agreed on a "restoration of law and order, restoration of services, unhindered access to humanitarian supplies, protection of civilians… among other areas of agreement", he added.

It was not immediately clear how the deal would be monitored to ensure it was implemented, and there was no mention by Obasanjo of international and rebel calls for Eritrea's feared army to withdraw from the battlefield.

– 'Welcome first step' –

Diplomatic efforts to bring Abiy's government and the TPLF to the negotiating table had taken on renewed urgency after combat resumed in late August, torpedoing a five-month truce that had allowed limited amounts of aid into war-stricken Tigray.

The talks were launched on Tuesday last week and were initially scheduled to run until Sunday but were extended.

They were the first formal dialogue between the two sides since the start of the conflict that had raised concerns about the stability of Ethiopia and the volatile Horn of Africa region.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hailed Obasanjo's announcement as "a welcome first step" that could "bring some solace" to millions of suffering civilians, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

The United States also described it as an "important step towards peace", with State Department spokesman Ned Price hoping it would lead to a "durable cessation of hostilities to set the stage for an end to human rights abuses and atrocities".

The delegations in Pretoria said it was now up to both sides to honour the agreement, while Abiy himself vowed a "strong" commitment to its implementation.

The head of the government team, Abiy's national security adviser Redwan Hussein, praised the sides for their "constructive engagement to allow the country to put this tragic period of conflict behind us".

Tigrayan delegation chief Getachew Reda said they were ready to "implement and expedite this agreement", adding: "In order to address the pains of our people, we have made concessions because we have to build trust."

– Dire shortages –

The war has forced well over two million people from their homes, and according to US estimates killed as many as half a million.

Despite the peace process in Pretoria, intense fighting had continued unabated in Tigray, where government troops backed by the Eritrean army and regional forces waged artillery bombardments and air strikes, capturing a string of towns from the rebels.

The international community had voiced increasing alarm over the combat and the toll among civilians caught in the crossfire.

Asked about Eritrea, South Africa's former vice president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, who was facilitating the negotiations, said only: "These two parties (Ethiopia's government and Tigrayan authorities) are not the only two groups that are relevant for peace to happen in Ethiopia.

"So we are entrusting them with the responsibility of going back home to socialise this agreement… to ensure that many more people embrace this agreement."

Tigray, a region of six million people, has been under a communications blackout for much of the conflict, lacking basic services and facing dire shortages of food, fuel and medicines.

The conflict erupted on November 4, 2020, when Nobel peace laureate Abiy sent troops into Tigray after accusing the TPLF, the regional ruling party, of attacking federal army camps.

The fighting followed months of seething tensions between Abiy and the TPLF, which had dominated the ruling coalition in Ethiopia for almost three decades before he came to power in 2018.

Key points of joint Ethiopia statement
Pretoria (AFP) Nov 2, 2022 –

Ethiopia's government and the rebel authorities in the Tigray region said Wednesday they had signed a deal to cease hostilities after two years of brutal conflict.

Here are the key points of the statement signed by the government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF):

— As per Article 3 of the Agreement for Lasting Peace and Permanent Cessation of Hostilities, the Representatives of the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the TPLF have agreed to announce to the people of Ethiopia and the rest of the world that after 10 days of intensive negotiations have concluded a peace agreement.

— We have agreed to permanently silence the guns and end the two years of conflict in northern Ethiopia.

— The conflict has brought a tragic degree of loss of lives and livelihoods and it is in the interest of the entire people of Ethiopia to leave this chapter of conflict behind and live in peace and harmony.

— It is fundamental that we reaffirmed our commitment to safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ethiopia and to upholding the Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Thus, Ethiopia has only one national defence force. We have also agreed on a detailed programme of disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration for the TPLF combatants, taking into account the security situation on the ground.

— We have agreed that the Government of Ethiopia will further enhance its collaboration with humanitarian agencies to continue expediting aid to all those in need of assistance.

— We have agreed to implement transitional measures that include the restoration of Constitutional order in the Tigray region, a framework for the settlement of political differences, and a Transitional Justice Policy framework to ensure accountability, truth, reconciliation, and healing.

— To start implementing these undertakings without delay, we have agreed to stop all forms of conflicts, and hostile propaganda. We will only make statements that support the expeditious implementation of the Agreement. We urge Ethiopians in the country and abroad, to support this Agreement, stop voices of division and hate, and mobilise their resources for economic recovery and rehabilitation of social bonds.

— The Government of Ethiopia will continue the efforts to restore public services and rebuild the infrastructures of all communities affected by the conflict. Students must go to school, and pastoralists to their fields, and public servants to their offices. The agreement requires the support of the public for its smooth implementation. This is a new and hopeful chapter in the history of the country.

— We are grateful to the people of Ethiopia for encouraging these talks and patiently waiting for the outcome. We are confident that they will embrace the results of these talks and ensure their timely implementation.

— Finally, we are confident that friends of Ethiopia and members of the diplomatic community will lend their support in rebuilding infrastructures in affected communities and the economic recovery of the country. We call on all types of media outlets to support peace, reconciliation, unity, and prosperity in Ethiopia