Mekelle፡ 3 November 2023(Tigray Herald)
1st Anniversary of Ethiopia’s Cessation of Hostilities Agreement
PRESS STATEMENT
Blinken cautions “Eritrean forces must fully withdraw” from Ethiopia, says “both Ethiopia and #Eritrea must refrain from provocation and respect the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of all countries in the region.”
Addis Abeba- #US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken cautioned “Eritrean forces must fully withdraw” from Ethiopia.
One year after a peace agreement, Eritrean forces continued occupying 52 Kebeles (districts) in north and north eastern #Tigray region where they continued committing atrocity crimes.
In his statement in connection with the first year anniversary of the AU brokered Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA) between the Government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) signed in #Pretoria, South Africa a year ago today, Blinken said the “Agreement silenced the guns and ended a horrific two-year war that killed hundreds of thousands and forced millions to flee their homes.”
However, he acknowledged that “while TPLF forces have disarmed their heavy weapons and begun to demobilize, more actions are needed to bring lasting peace and stability to Tigray. Eritrean forces must fully withdraw.”
Secretary Blinken also said “both Ethiopia and Eritrea must refrain from provocation and respect the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of all countries in the region.”
The US also repeated its earlier statements and said it remains “concerned about ongoing conflicts – in Amhara, Oromia, and elsewhere – that threaten Ethiopia’s fragile peace.”
“Continued human rights violations and abuses by multiple actors and the circulation of toxic rhetoric further erode a social fabric worn thin by war,” Blinken’s statement further said.
