• The parties in Tigray reach an agreement on a permanent suspension of hostilities.
• Olusegun Obasanjo called the deal a new “dawn” for Ethiopia.
• Peace talks in South Africa got underway last week.

Just over a week after formal peace talks in South Africa got underway, the African Union mediator announced that the parties in the war in Tigray, in northern Ethiopia, have reached an agreement on a “permanent suspension of hostilities”.

In the first briefing on the peace talks on Wednesday, former president of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo stated that the governments of Ethiopia and Tigray had agreed to a “orderly, smooth, and coordinated disarmament” as well as the “restoration of law and order,” the “restoration of services,” and “unrestricted access to humanitarian supplies.”

At a press conference, he declared that the deal was a new “dawn” for Ethiopia.

Regional forces from Tigray have been engaged in combat with Ethiopia’s federal army and its allies, which also include forces from other regions and neighboring Eritrea, since the conflict first broke out in November 2020.

The breakthrough agreement reached on Wednesday was praised and would be pursued, according to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

“The dedication to peace is unwavering. And our dedication to working together to put the deal into effect is just as strong,” he said in a statement.

The rebels in Tigray praised the agreement and said they had made compromises.

Getachew Reda, the leader of their group, declared, “We are ready to implement and expedite this agreement.”

We have made concessions in order to ease our people’s suffering because we need to win their trust.

The fact that we have now reached this agreement-signing stage “speaks volumes about the readiness on the part of the two sides to lay the past behind them and chart a new course for peace,” added Reda.

Thousands of people have died, millions have been uprooted from their homes, and hundreds of thousands are on the verge of starvation as a result of the fighting, which at times has spread from Tigray into the neighboring areas of Amhara and Afar.

Antonio Guterres, the secretary-general of the UN, praised the ceasefire.

The spokeswoman for the secretary-general, Stephane Dujarric, told reporters that it was “very much a welcome first step, which we hope might start to bring some relief to the millions of Ethiopian people that have actually suffered during this conflict.”

The accord was praised by the US as well.

According to Department of State spokesperson Ned Price, “the African Union’s announcement of the signing of a suspension of hostilities between the government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front constitutes an important step towards peace.”

A law assistant professor at Addis Abeba University named Mesenbet Assefa called the accord a “major political development.”

In Addis Abeba, there is “a lot of excitement,” Assefa told Al Jazeera.

“Socially, politically, and economically, the fight had a disastrous impact, so I believe it’s excellent news to see that the two parties… have agreed to a stop of hostilities,” the author said.

The negotiations in South Africa were not attended by Eritrea or regional forces aligned with the Ethiopian army, and it was unknown whether they would uphold the accord struck.

Witnesses have reported deaths and theft by Eritrean forces even during the peace negotiations. Eritrean forces have been accused of some of the worst abuses committed throughout the conflict, such as gang rapes.

From Pretoria, Al Jazeera’s Fahmida Miller reported that the agreement’s implementation will now be the focus of attention.

We are aware that hundreds of people have died, and that the Tigray region has suffered from a lack of food and humanitarian supplies, according to Miller.

She continued, “In terms of some of the challenges that have transpired in the previous two years, this truly has been a vital sticking point.”

A high-level African Union panel will oversee and monitor the agreement’s implementation, according to Obasanjo, who has been leading the organization’s mediation team. He applauded the procedure, calling it an African response to an African issue, and stated that the accord would enable the restoration of humanitarian aid to Tigray.

How soon help can reach Tigray, where communications and transportation lines have been mostly destroyed since the fighting started, is a crucial question.

Doctors have highlighted how essential medications like insulin, vaccinations, and therapeutic food are running scarce as people suffer from easily treatable illnesses and famine.

According to United Nations human rights investigators, the Ethiopian government employs “civilian famine” as a weapon of war.

At a Wednesday online session for health professionals, Fasika Amdeslasie, a surgeon at the region’s leading hospital, declared, “We’re back to 18th-century surgery.” “It’s like being in an outdoor jail.”

If unrestricted assistance access to Tigray was permitted, a source from the humanitarian sector claimed that their organization could very instantly resume activities.

The government’s decision will determine everything. We can start moving very rapidly, in hours rather than weeks, if they actually provide us access, according to the source, who talked to The Associated Press under the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to do so.

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