Women who fled violence in Tigray work at a camp for displaced persons in Mekele

WORLD

Chance for ceasefire in Tigray region

The Tigray People's Liberation Front have accepted a ceasefire but posed strict conditions for it to be formalised. The unilateral ceasefire was declared by the Ethiopian government to last until the end of the planting season in September.

By Nathan Morely

The Tigray People's Liberation Front have accepted a ceasefire but posed strict conditions for it to be formalised.

Last week, the Tigray People's Liberation Front, which had been run out of the district by government forces in 2020, returned to regional capital Mekelle in triumph.

It marked a dramatic turn in events in Ethiopia and compounded an already shaky humanitarian situation.

The government in Addis Ababa immediately declared a unilateral ceasefire, but until now, this had not been agreed.

The TPLF are demanding they be recognised as the government in Tigray and calling for the distribution of aid and the safe return of displaced people.

The UN and numerous governments have called for a ceasefire to be respected, especially to allow humanitarian aid to reach civilian populations.

The UN estimates 350,000 people in face famine, whilst the U.S. Agency for International Development says the number is nearer 900,000.

Listen to the report by Nathan Morley