Ethiopian government, Tigray leaders sign peace treaty to end bloody civil war

The Ethiopian government on Wednesday reached an agreement with officials in the country's Tigray region to stop fighting, bringing an end to a years-long civil war that has killed thousands and caused millions to be displaced from their homes.

The New York Times reported that leadership from both sides shook hands and signed an agreement to cease open warfare. The truce comes at the end of a 10-day conference in South Africa, helmed by the African Union, that was aimed at bringing a final conclusion to the bloody conflict.

A reporter for the South African Broadcasting Corporation tweeted an image of a joint statement from the combatants, in which the two parties "agreed to permanently silence the guns and end two years of conflict in northern Ethiopia."

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"We have agreed to implement transitional measures that include the restoration of Constitutional order in the Tigray region, [and] a framework for the settlement of political differences," the statement added.

The agreement concludes a civil war that first began in November 2020, when leaders of the Tigray region reached a boiling point with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. The tensions would turn from anger into physical violence, and the Tigray region was soon engulfed in war.

The war became one of Africa's bloodiest and deadliest, with reports of numerous war crimes taking place throughout the conflict. The fighting has also led to a significant humanitarian crisis, with BBC News reporting that 90 percent of people in Tigray suffered from hunger.