Ethiopia’s national carrier, Ethiopian Airlines, announced Tuesday that it will resume regular flights to the Tigray region capital, Mekelle, suspended due to the conflict that erupted in November 2020, after the government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) signed a cessation of hostilities agreement in November.
The airline’s chief executive officer, Mesfin Tasew, has indicated that Aluba Aba Nega Airport is ready to receive the flights, after traveling to Mekelle on Monday as part of an official Ethiopian delegation, the ‘Addis Standard’ newspaper reported.
He detailed that the service will be resumed with a daily flight, and said that it could be expanded if there is sufficient demand. He also stressed that work is underway to resume connections with other airports in the Tigray region.
The Ethiopian delegation’s visit to Mekelle came a few days after the government and the TPLF agreed to set up a ceasefire monitoring team in the region as part of steps to implement the African Union (AU)-mediated cessation of hostilities agreement, as confirmed by former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is spearheading the continental body’s efforts.
The conflict in Tigray erupted in November 2020 following a TPLF attack on the main army base in Mekelle, after which the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered an offensive against the group. The outbreak of fighting followed months of political and administrative tensions, including the TPLF’s refusal to recognize an electoral postponement and its decision to hold regional elections outside Addis Ababa.
The TPLF accuses Abiy of whipping up tensions since coming to power in April 2018, when he became the first Oromo to accede to office. Until then, the TPLF had been the dominant force within Ethiopia’s ruling coalition since 1991, the ethnically-supported Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). The group opposed Abiy’s reforms, which it saw as an attempt to undermine its influence.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
