Long haul public transportation restarts in Ethiopia's Tigray region

TIGRAY, Ethiopia - Long-haul public land transportation has restarted in Ethiopia's conflict-affected northernmost Tigray region, local media outlets reported on Saturday.

The Tigray region interim administration affiliated media outlet Dimtsi Woyane reported land transportation between Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa and Tigray's regional capital Mekelle, which is located 783 kilometers north of Addis Ababa, started earlier on Saturday.

Accordingly, Dimtsi Woyane reported private bus operators have started transporting passengers from Mekelle to Addis Ababa and vice versa.

In December, Ethiopia's national flag carrier Ethiopian Airlines resumed flights between Addis Ababa and Mekelle.

On Wednesday, authorities in the Tigray region disclosed classes are set to resume in schools across the region after three years of interruption.

The gradual resumption of basic services, which include telecommunication, banking, and transportation, has come after a permanent cessation of hostilities agreement was signed on November 2 between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which controls most parts of the northernmost region.

The peace deal which ended a two-year-long war included provisions on the restoration of law and order, resumption of basic services, and unhindered access to humanitarian supplies.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency