NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Officials close to peace talks aimed at ending Ethiopia's deadly two-year war confirmed the full text of the signed accord on Thursday, but a key question remains: What led Tigray regional leaders to agree to terms that include rapid disarmament and full federal government control?
A day after the warring sides signed a “permanent cessation of hostilities" in a war that is believed to have killed hundreds of thousands of people, none of the negotiators were talking about how they arrived at it.
The complete agreement has not been made public, but the officials confirmed that a copy obtained by The Associated Press was the final document. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss it publicly.
At Wednesday's signing, the lead negotiator for Tigray described it as containing “painful concessions.”
One of the pact's priorities is to swiftly disarm Tigray forces of heavy weapons, and take away their “light weapons” within 30 days. Senior commanders on both sides are to meet within five days.
Ethiopian security forces will take full control of “all federal facilities, installations, and major infrastructure ... within the Tigray region,” and an interim regional administration will be established after dialogue between the parties, the accord says. The terrorist designation for the Tigray People’s Liberation Front party will be lifted.
If implemented, the agreement should mark an end to the devastating conflict in Africa’s second-most populous country. Millions of people have been displaced and many left near famine under a blockade of the Tigray region of more than 5 million people. Abuses have been documented on all sides.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed asserted that his government received everything it asked for in...
