The EU celebrates two years of the agreement that ended the Tigray war but warns that violence continues

MADRID Nov. 2 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The top diplomatic official of the European Union, Josep Borrell, celebrated this Saturday the second anniversary of the Pretoria agreement (South Africa) that ended the war in the Ethiopian state of Tigray two years ago, one of the bloodiest episodes of the recent history of the African country, before warning that violence continues to be a problem in the region despite the end of the conflict.

The war pitted the Ethiopian Army (and allied forces, such as Eritrea) against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the state authority, from 2020 to 2022 in an all-out conflict that wreaked havoc on the civilian population. The Ethiopian Government estimates that the war left at least 100,000 dead, but a subsequent assessment by the African Union, counting indirect fatalities due to famine, disease or thirst, raises the figure to 600,000.

However, NGOs have been denouncing for months that the state continues to be the scene of extreme violence, especially in the south, under the control of militias from the neighboring state of Amhara that participated in the conflict supporting the Ethiopian Army and have remained in conquered territories.

In this context, while Borrell recognizes that the implementation of the agreement signed on November 2 between the Ethiopian Government and the TPLF in Pretoria “has given rise to important advances, such as the reestablishment of basic services, humanitarian access and the return of some internally displaced people”, has urged “that a peaceful solution be reached to the ongoing conflicts in the country”.

“While we recognize the complexity of the process, the EU calls on all parties to redouble their efforts to ensure that implementation continues for the benefit of all Ethiopians living in the northern part of the country,” Borrell said in a statement. .

In this sense, the diplomat considers “vital” the execution of “a credible and victim-centered justice process, for which the Government of Ethiopia has undertaken preparatory work.”

“We urge all parties to participate in the ongoing national dialogue, which must be fully inclusive, particularly with regard to the voices of women and youth,” Borrell emphasizes.