The African Union on Monday held the 1st Strategic Reflection on Implementation of Cessation of Hostilities Agreement.
The event marked almost one year and a half since the November 2, 2022, Pretoria Cessation of Hostilities Agreement.
The Ethiopia–Tigray peace agreement, commonly called the Pretoria Agreement or the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA), is a peace treaty between the government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) signed on November 2, 2022, wherein both parties agreed to a "permanent cessation of hostilities" to end the Tigray War
AU chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat said the process has already achieved steady and commendable progress.
"Through collaboration between the High-Level Panel, the Joint Committee, and the Monitoring Verification and Compliance Mission, the AU has been able to track progress on the implementation of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement," he said.
Key achievements since the signing of the agreement include the immediate cessation of hostilities, the handover of heavy and medium weapons, the resumption of essential services, and the reopening of schools and economic activities in most parts of the Tigray region.
The AU Chairman added that the establishment of the Interim Regional Administration in Tigray and the National Commission for Reintegration, with the support of the AU to the working group on transitional justice has also registered progress.
"I also authorized the disbursement of one million United States Dollars from the Crisis Reserve Facility of the AU Peace Fund to support the DDR program. In so doing, Ethiopia became the first AU Member State to benefit from the revitalized Peace Fund," he said.
Moussa Faki expressed the AU’s gratitude to Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa for their continued support to the implementation of the COHA.
He said that their contribution facilitated the deployment of a Team of African Experts, who diligently serve under the MVCM in the Tigray region.
"I express my gratitude to the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development, the African Development Bank, the United Nations (UN), the EU, and the government of the United States of America for their continued support to our collective peace-making efforts in Northern Ethiopia," he added.
He said the meeting is a timely opportunity for strategic reflection to take stock of the continued challenges and outstanding issues that remain to be resolved.
"It is, therefore, you the Parties, who are best placed to point out the outstanding issues and how they can best be resolved," he said.
"Despite the undeniable achievements made so far, the process of political dialogue, transitional justice, Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration are among the important issues that need your urgent attention."
Among those in attendance was former President and EAC Facilitator for the Nairobi Peace Process on the Peace and Stability in the Eastern DRC Uhuru Kenyatta.
He said the meeting was aimed at strengthening the implementation of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA).
