Ethiopia (MNN) — Top commanders from Ethiopia and the northern Tigray region have agreed to allow food and medicine to those who need it. It will involve the disarmament of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.
Tigray has been largely blockaded since the civil war began in November 2020. Half of the region’s 5.5 million people desperately need food. Aid workers report many people are dying of starvation and preventable diseases.
Brother Joshua with The Voice of the Martyrs Canada says, “We’re still in a very fragile state. We need to pray for this peace deal to be realistic on the ground since there’s a lot of opposition. There are people who still want war, opposing the peace deal.”
The two parties met in Nairobi, Kenya, to implement the cessation of hostilities. Those negotiations took place in South Africa and were signed on November 2.
The war scattered refugees around the country, and only a few have been able to return home so far.
Pray for healing
Joshua says forces in the Tigray region have struggled against the central Ethiopian government for about 50 years. “There is a lot of enmity throughout the generations, and this thing is not going to be easy for the country, coming to peaceful negotiations. So we need prayer for both parties.”
It will be a difficult rift to heal, especially with accusations of war crimes against both sides. Eritrea did not participate in the peace talks, despite sending soldiers to help the central Ethiopian government. Their soldiers have been accused of war crimes as well.
Joshua says many Ethiopian Christians are overjoyed to see the fighting end. Pray they would display Jesus’ love as they care for the hurting. Ask God to heal Ethiopia and bring lasting peace.
The header photo shows a 16-year-old boy who lost part of his leg while under artillery fire in the Tigray region last year. (Photo courtesy of Yan Boechat/VOA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
