Tigray Peace Deal: Surprise Agreement Ends Two Years of Civil War in Ethiopia, Brings "Big Relief”

The Ethiopian government and forces in Tigray have reached a truce to end two years of brutal civil war. The new peace deal follows a week of peace talks mediated by the African Union in South Africa. The Ethiopian government wants a unified country and Tigrayans want minoritarian rights upheld, says Adebayo Olukoshi, distinguished research professor at the Wits School of Governance who formerly worked on peace efforts in Tigray with the International IDEA. The agreement comes as “a big relief” and “there’s hope that the two sides will adhere to the agreement,” he says.