Ethiopian Government, Tigray Forces Agree to End 'Hostilities'

An official close to the Ethiopian peace talks says the government and Tigray forces have signed an agreement to end "hostilities¹."

The two-year-old war has killed thousands, displaced millions, and left hundreds of thousands facing hunger.

The unnamed official told the Associated Press that the final agreement says Tigray forces will be disarmed², starting with "light weapons" within 30 days of Wednesday's signing. Ethiopian federal security forces will take control of all federal buildings, airports, and highways in the Tigray area. And a temporary administration will be established after talks between the parties.

The agreement sets deadlines on disarmament but little else. And it could be difficult to get all involved to surrender their weapons to complete the deal.

The Tigray lead negotiator described the agreement at Wednesday's signing as "painful concessions⁴."

The deal came after 10 days of talks in Pretoria, South Africa, helped by the African Union. The union with representatives from both sides and African experts will follow the process.

Observers of the conflict welcomed the agreement. "This is very much a welcome first step," said a spokesman for the United Nations secretary-general. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters she was very pleased because "what it means is that lives will be saved."

The government of neighboring Eritrea, whose forces have fought alongside Ethiopian ones, has not commented on the deal. The agreement says Ethiopian forces will be deployed⁵ along the borders and "ensure that there will be no provocation⁶ or incursion from either side of the border."

On Thursday, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said during a visit to southern Ethiopia that his government's proposal at the talks was accepted "100 percent" and the government was ready to "open our hearts" for peace.

He also said the issue of disputed areas, widely seen as one of the most difficult, will be resolved only through the law of the land and negotiations⁷.

The day after the deal, Ethiopian media groups ceased using the word "terrorist" to describe Tigrayan forces. The signed deal says Ethiopia's government agrees to end the terrorist designation on the Tigray People's Liberation Front party.

Inside Tigray, one humanitarian⁸ worker in the town of Shire said there were no sounds of gunfire, as in the past few days, and a "blockade" of movement on people and vehicles was still in place.

Words in This Story

deadline - n. a date and time when something must be finished

concession³ - n. something that is given up in order to reach an agreement

provocation - n. an action that causes someone to become angry or to something

incursion - n. a sudden invasion or attack

1 hostilities   

n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事

参考例句：

• Mexico called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. 墨西哥要求立即停止敌对行动。
• All the old hostilities resurfaced when they met again. 他们再次碰面时，过去的种种敌意又都冒了出来。

2 disarmed   

v.裁军( disarm的过去式和过去分词 )；使息怒

参考例句：

• Most of the rebels were captured and disarmed. 大部分叛乱分子被俘获并解除了武装。
• The swordsman disarmed his opponent and ran him through. 剑客缴了对手的械，并对其乱刺一气。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 concession   

n.让步，妥协；特许(权)

参考例句：

• We can not make heavy concession to the matter.我们在这个问题上不能过于让步。
• That is a great concession.这是很大的让步。

4 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

5 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

6 provocation   

n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因

参考例句：

• He's got a fiery temper and flares up at the slightest provocation.他是火爆性子，一点就着。
• They did not react to this provocation.他们对这一挑衅未作反应。

7 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

8 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。