Joint Committee Outlining Plan to Disarm Combatants in Tigray

ADDIS ABABA – A joint committee of the Federal government and TPLF has begun outlining a detailed plan for the disarmament of armed combatants in the Tigray regional state today.

The joint Committee which also involves the African Union was mandated to outline the disarmament as per the Peace Agreement signed between the Federal government and TPLF on November 2, 2022.

In a statement today, the Government Communication Service (GCS) said the joint committee that assumed its functions on Wednesday has convened in Shire town.

The committee “is expected to finalize its duties in the coming few days,” reads the statement.

Its detailed plan “is envisaged to address the issues of disarmament and other related matters,” said the GCS. It said the planning has been delayed due to technical factors.

The technical committee assumed its mandate nearly a month after the signing of the Cessation of Hostilities between the Federal Government and TPLF, and 20 days after the signing of the declaration of a roadmap to implement the peace deal.

The peace deal schedules the disarmament to take place one month after it is signed, while the declaration states the disarmament to be done “concurrently with the withdrawal of foreign troops”.

The African Union commended the meeting in Shire as a “significant milestone in the peace process”, and said it “is consistent with the Declaration of the Senior Commanders, which called for the establishment of a comprehensive implementation plan for the disarmament of light weapons.”

“The Shire meeting is a major confidence-building measure in furtherance of the Parties’ commitment to fully implement the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA) for lasting peace and stability in Ethiopia,” said the Pan African bloc.