Communiqué of the 1120th meeting of the PSC, on the Briefing on the Agreement for Lasting Peace through Permanent Cessation of Hostilities between the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF)

General
November 19, 2022

The Peace and Security Council,

Recalling Communique [PSC/PR/COMM.1097 (2022)] adopted at its 1097th meeting held on 4 August 2022 and Press Statement [PSC/PR/PS.1115 (2022)] adopted at its 1115th meeting held on 21 October 2022, respectively, on the situation in the Horn of Africa and the AU-led Peace Process for Ethiopia;

Determined to ensure the effectiveness of African solutions to African problems and to silence the guns in Africa by the Year 2030, in order to create conducive conditions for the realization of the aspirations of AU Agenda 2063;

Reaffirming the unwavering commitment of the AU to fully respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and national unity of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, in line with the AU Constitutive Act; as well as to support all efforts aimed at restoring durable peace, security and stability in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa region as a whole;

Noting the opening remarks made by H.E. Ambassador Emilia Ndinelao Mkusa, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Namibia to the Africa Union and Chairperson of the PSC for November 2022, and the statements by H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security; H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa; Ms. Nardos Ayalew Belay, Acting Permanent Representative of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to the AU, as well as the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD); and

Acting under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council:

Welcomes the signing, on 2 November 2022, in Pretoria, South Africa, of the Agreement for Lasting Peace through a Permanent Cessation of Hostilities between the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which marks a landmark towards silencing the guns in Ethiopia and Africa in general;

Congratulates the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the TPLF for placing the supreme interests of Ethiopia and its people, above all else by giving peace a chance;

Endorses the Agreement for Lasting Peace through a Permanent Cessation of Hostilities between the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and strongly urges the signatory Parties to honor and fully implement the Agreement in its spirit and letter, while welcoming commitment of the two parties to implement in good faith the Agreement, in line with Article 12 of the Agreement;

Appeals to all AU Member States, IGAD, as well as the bilateral and international partners to support the implementation of the Agreement through the AU-led peace process;

Specially commends the High-Level Panel under the leadership of H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo, AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa, along with H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta, former President of the Republic of Kenya and H.E. Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, former Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa and Member, AU Panel of the Wise, for their tireless efforts in facilitating the negotiations that culminated in the signing of the Agreement, and re-affirms the commitment of Council to continue to support the efforts of the Panel;

Expresses sincere gratitude to the Government and People of the Republic of South Africa for successfully hosting the AU-led Peace Talks, through H.E. President Cyril Ramaphosa, who rendered strong political encouragement and support for the process and the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation;

Applauds the senior leadership of the AU Commission, particularly H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the Commission, for the commitment to the launch of the peace process and the deployment of the requisite technical capacity and financial resources, which contributed significantly to the signing of the Agreement; in this regard, expresses profound appreciation to the African Development Bank (AfDB) for its financial and logistics support to the AU Commission, the High-Level Panel and the entire peace process;

Commends the support of IGAD the United Nations and United States of America, as Observers to the AU-convened peace talks in Pretoria and the continuous supporting role of the European Union, while encouraging them and other bilateral and multilateral partners to scale up support for the full implementation of the Agreement under the auspices of the AU;

Welcomes with satisfaction, the steps already being taken by both parties in implementation of the Agreement, including the convening of first meeting of senior military commanders, in Nairobi, Kenya on the implementation of Article 6 of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, and in this context, expresses gratitude to the Government of the Republic of Kenya for hosting the meeting;

Takes note of the dire humanitarian situation in the northern part of Ethiopia and encourages the parties to facilitate the immediate delivery of humanitarian relief to the population in need, and strongly appeals to all Member States and the international community to provide humanitarian support to the affected population;

Strongly urges all external actors to fully respect the sovereignty, political independence, national unity and territorial integrity of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia;

Requests the AU Commission to provide regular briefings to Council on the status of the implementation of the Agreement;

Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

Source: The Peace and Security Council,

Acting under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council:

Welcomes the signing, on 2 November 2022, in Pretoria, South Africa, of the Agreement for Lasting Peace through a Permanent Cessation of Hostilities between the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which marks a landmark towards silencing the guns in Ethiopia and Africa in general;

Congratulates the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the TPLF for placing the supreme interests of Ethiopia and its people, above all else by giving peace a chance;

Endorses the Agreement for Lasting Peace through a Permanent Cessation of Hostilities between the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and strongly urges the signatory Parties to honor and fully implement the Agreement in its spirit and letter, while welcoming commitment of the two parties to implement in good faith the Agreement, in line with Article 12 of the Agreement;

Appeals to all AU Member States, IGAD, as well as the bilateral and international partners to support the implementation of the Agreement through the AU-led peace process;

Specially commends the High-Level Panel under the leadership of H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo, AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa, along with H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta, former President of the Republic of Kenya and H.E. Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, former Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa and Member, AU Panel of the Wise, for their tireless efforts in facilitating the negotiations that culminated in the signing of the Agreement, and re-affirms the commitment of Council to continue to support the efforts of the Panel;

Expresses sincere gratitude to the Government and People of the Republic of South Africa for successfully hosting the AU-led Peace Talks, through H.E. President Cyril Ramaphosa, who rendered strong political encouragement and support for the process and the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation;

Applauds the senior leadership of the AU Commission, particularly H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the Commission, for the commitment to the launch of the peace process and the deployment of the requisite technical capacity and financial resources, which contributed significantly to the signing of the Agreement; in this regard, expresses profound appreciation to the African Development Bank (AfDB) for its financial and logistics support to the AU Commission, the High-Level Panel and the entire peace process;

Commends the support of IGAD the United Nations and United States of America, as Observers to the AU-convened peace talks in Pretoria and the continuous supporting role of the European Union, while encouraging them and other bilateral and multilateral partners to scale up support for the full implementation of the Agreement under the auspices of the AU;

Welcomes with satisfaction, the steps already being taken by both parties in implementation of the Agreement, including the convening of first meeting of senior military commanders, in Nairobi, Kenya on the implementation of Article 6 of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, and in this context, expresses gratitude to the Government of the Republic of Kenya for hosting the meeting;

Takes note of the dire humanitarian situation in the northern part of Ethiopia and encourages the parties to facilitate the immediate delivery of humanitarian relief to the population in need, and strongly appeals to all Member States and the international community to provide humanitarian support to the affected population;

Strongly urges all external actors to fully respect the sovereignty, political independence, national unity and territorial integrity of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia;

Requests the AU Commission to provide regular briefings to Council on the status of the implementation of the Agreement;

Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

Source: African Union