ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) — Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat on Friday welcomed the signing of the AU-Ethiopia grant agreement to sustain peace in northern Ethiopia’s Tigray Region.
On Thursday, the Ethiopian government and the AU signed a 1-million-U.S.-dollar accord provided through the Crisis Reserve Facility of the AU Peace Fund as part of the AU’s support to the peace process in Ethiopia, the AU said in a statement issued on Friday. The AU’s financial support aims for the effective implementation of the disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration program, pursuant to the Permanent Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, signed between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in November 2022.
“Significantly, the chairperson notes that this extension of the grant marks Ethiopia becoming the first AU member state to benefit directly from the AU Peace Fund since its operationalization in 2023,” the statement read. Faki reaffirmed the commitment to the full and expeditious implementation of the Permanent Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, including the disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration process.
The chairperson renewed profound appreciation to the Ethiopian federal government and the Interim Regional Administration of Tigray for their continued commitment to implementing the Permanent Cessation of Hostilities Agreement within the spirit of African solutions to African problems. “The chairperson equally expresses gratitude to all Ethiopian, regional, and international actors for their continued steadfast support to the AU-led peace process for northern Ethiopia,” the statement read. He called on bilateral and multilateral partners to concretely offer support to the AU-led process toward the implementation of the Permanent Cessation of Hostilities Agreement.
In Nov. 2022, the Ethiopian government and the TPLF signed a cessation of hostilities agreement in Pretoria, South Africa, to end a two-year brutal conflict. The peace deal includes provisions for restoration of law and order, restoration of basic services, as well as unhindered access to humanitarian supplies.
