Ethiopia Declares Immediate, Unilateral Cease-fire in Tigray
Voice of America
NAIROBI - Ethiopia's government on Monday declared an immediate, unilateral cease-fire in its Tigray region after nearly eight months of deadly conflict and as hundreds of thousands of people face the world's worst famine crisis in a decade.
The cease-fire could calm a war that has destabilized Africa's second most populous country and threatened to do the same in the wider Horn of Africa, where Ethiopia has been seen as a key security ally for the West. It comes as the country awaits the results of national elections that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed promoted as the centerpiece of reforms that won him the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize. Abiy's transformation from making peace to waging war has appalled many observers since the fighting in Tigray erupted in November. Since then, the world has struggled to access much of the region and investigate growing allegations of atrocities, including gang rapes and forced starvation. Ethiopia's statement was carried by state media shortly after the Tigray interim administration, appointed by the federal government, fled the regional capital, Mekele, and called for a cease-fire on humanitarian grounds so that desperately needed aid can be delivered. Meanwhile, Mekele residents cheered the arrival of Tigray forces.
Bankole Adeoye, center, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, explains the African Union's position on conflicts on the continent during a press conference at the 38th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Feb. 16, 2025.
Workers clean pavilion seats on the eve of the International Cricket Council Champions Trophy match between Pakistan and New Zealand at National Stadium in Karachi on Feb. 18, 2025. Pakistan's Babar Azam attends a practice session at National Stadium in Karachi on Feb. 16, 2025, ahead of his team's Champions Trophy cricket match against New Zealand. A Pakistani police commando stands guard outside the National Stadium in Karachi on Feb. 17, 2025. The International Cricket Council Champions Trophy begins on Feb. 19. Workers install a screen at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium ahead of the International Cricket Council Champions Trophy matches in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Feb. 17, 2025.
Vietnam's President Luong Cuong, Vietnam's communist party general secretary To Lam, Vietnam's PM Pham Minh Chinh and others attend the National Assembly's extraordinary session opening in Hanoi, Feb. 12, 2025.
Reporters stand in front of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, in Rome, Feb. 18, 2025, where Pope Francis has been hospitalized to undergo some necessary diagnostic tests and to continue his ongoing treatment for bronchitis.
An Israeli army Merkava main battle tank is deployed by the concrete border wall at a position along Israel's northern border with Lebanon on Feb. 18, 2025.
FILE - A Philippines Navy ship is anchored before a multilateral naval exercise at Denpasar, in Indonesia's Bali island on Feb. 15, 2025. The Philippines has detected foreign attempts to access intelligence data.
Afghan children queue to receive food aid distributed by a private charity foundation, in Mazar-i-Sharif on Feb. 16, 2025. FILE - A person holds a bundle of Afghan afghani banknotes at a money exchange market, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sept. 4, 2021.
Rescuers work at the site of a residential building damaged during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Dolynska, in Kirovohrad region, Ukraine, Feb. 18, 2025.
FILE - A chimney is seen at Japan's Keihin Industrial Zone as Mount Fuji looms in the background on Jan. 24, 2022. Japan set fresh climate targets on Feb.18, 2025, pledging to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 60% in fiscal 2035 from 2013 levels, the environment ministry said.
An aerial view shows sections of the columns in the ancient city of Palmyra, Syria, Jan. 25, 2025. FILE - An aerial view shows a section of the ancient city of Palmyra, Syria, Jan. 25, 2025. FILE - Experts gather as they discuss the restoration process of the Crusader castle of Crac des Chevaliers, in Homs province, Syria, May 24, 2016. FILE - A makeshift camp of displaced Syrians is seen on Nov. 1, 2020, at Byzantine ruins in a region of northwest Syria called the Dead Cities.
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk before an informal summit of European leaders to discuss the situation in Ukraine and European security at The Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on Feb. 17, 2025.
FILE - Missiles are launched from a U.S. military HIMARS system during joint military drills at a firing range in Shoalwater Bay, Australia, July 22, 2023. Taiwan reportedly is considering buying billions of dollars worth of weapons, including HIMARS, from the U.S.
President of Interim Regional Administration of Tigray Getachew Reda, center, and Chairman of Tigray People's Liberation Front Debretsion Gebremichael, left, shake hands with Former President of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa on Feb. 16, 2025.