Ethiopian delegation arrives in Tigray's Mekelle city of the first time

MEKELLE - A delegation from Addis Ababa has arrived in Tigray's Mekelle city cod the first time in as many months to “supervise the implementation of major issues in the peace agreement” signed on November 2, an Ethiopian government statement said.

In the delegation is the House of People's speaker Tagesse Chafo and Redwan Hussein, the advisor to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on matters of security. Redwan Hussein is also the minister of communication in the federal government.

The head of Ethiopia’s road infrastructure authority and the heads of Ethiopian Airlines and Ethio Telecom — Mesfin Tasew and Frehiwot Tamiru — are also present.

“The delegation is the first of its stature as a high-level federal government body heading to Mekele in two years,” the statement said. “This gesture is an attestation to the peace agreement getting on the right track and progressing,” it said.

The delegation was greeted by rebel authorities, including their spokesman Getachew Reda, Tigrayan photographs showed, AFP reports.

Tigray People's Liberation Front [TPLF] has been at loggerheads with the government of Ethiopia over historical grievances and the teams agreed to reconcile. The talks were engineered by the African Union under former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Mekelle was technically disconnected from the world with essential services cut off throughout the two years. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has been accused of failing to unite the country which he inherited when it was stable, with critics accusing him of dictatorship.

GAROWE ONLINE