Brussels 02.11.2024 Today marks two years since the signing of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA) between the Government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.

“The implementation of the CoHA has delivered on important developments such as restoration of basic services, humanitarian access and the return of some Internally Displaced Persons” – reads the statement by High Representative Josep Borrell to mark two years of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement in Ethiopia.
“While acknowledging the complexity of the process, the EU calls on all parties to redouble efforts to ensure that implementation continues for the benefit of all Ethiopians living in the northern part of the country”.

“At the same time, we continue to urge for a peaceful resolution to ongoing conflicts in the country. Human rights must be respected at all times, in accordance with Ethiopia’s continental and international obligations. In this regard, a credible and victim-centred Transitional Justice process, for which the Government of Ethiopia has undertaken preparatory work, is vital.

“We urge all parties to engage in the ongoing National Dialogue, which must be fully inclusive, in particular as regards the voices of women and youth. The EU is ready to deepen our engagement with Ethiopia on the basis of April 2023 Foreign Affairs Council Conclusions”.

Two years ago in Pretoria, the African Union and the AU High-Level Panel working with observers from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the UN, and the U.S. facilitated the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA) between the Government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The Agreement ended atrocities of two-year war that killed hundreds of thousands and forced millions to flee their homes.

The war claimed 600,000 lives and displaced more than three million people according to assessments, also involved armed militias from the neighbouring Amhara region and the Eritrean army.
Although there are no extensive studies yet, preliminary research indicates that 44 percent of civilian casualties passed away from wounds due to lack of medical care, while the other 56 percent survived but were left with disabilities.

In November 2020 the Ethiopian government began military operations in the Tigray region against the region’s ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). Civilian structures in towns in Tigray, including hospitals, schools, factories, and businesses, were shelled, looted and destroyed by Ethiopian federal forces and regional militias, and by Eritrean armed forces. The fighting and continued restrictions on humanitarian access forced more than two million people to flee their homes, with thousands fleeing into Sudan, and left at least 2.3 million in need of assistance