MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th November, 2022) Moscow has commended the ceasefire agreement between the Ethiopian government and the restive Tigray region in the north, hoping that it will lead to the establishment of a lasting peace, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.
On Wednesday, the Ethiopian government and the Tigray rebels announced a deal to permanently cease hostilities, setting up a prospective end to a conflict that has left tens of thousands dead and millions more displaced.
"We welcome the signing of the ceasefire agreement between the government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which took place on November 2 in Pretoria," the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry also commended the work of African Union High Representative for the Horn of Africa and former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, as well as other mediators from African countries who facilitated the conclusion of negotiations in South Africa on the basis of the principle of "African solutions to African problems."
"We express the hope that the implementation of this agreement will contribute to the promotion of lasting peace and the final settlement of the internal conflict in Russia-friendly Ethiopia," the ministry added.
Ethiopia has experienced a violent internal conflict since November 2020, when the central government accused the TPLF of attacking its local military base and launched a counterterrorist operation in the region.
In June 2021, the TPLF seized the city of Mekelle � Tigray's administrative regional center � after fighting the government, and the latter declared an unconditional ceasefire. However, the TPLF soon launched a new offensive and took control of the southern part of Tigray and the neighboring Amhara region.
A new ceasefire deal was reached in March, when the Ethiopian authorities announced the introduction of an indefinite truce for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Tigray. In June, the Ethiopian government announced the establishment of a committee for negotiations with the TPLF.
