Following the firm stance of the federal government of Ethiopia, the Pretoria peace accord has set in motion yielding results at the earliest possible moment. Even though rumormongers at all hours of the day and night pulled out all the stops to downplay the role of the continental bloc by spreading cooked up stories, all their endeavors went for nothing in the shortest possible time.
Notwithstanding the fact that a broad range of endeavors made by some doomsayers to attach little importance to the continental bloc repeatedly, Ethiopia ultimately attained the desired goal and accomplished the desired outcome. In the present circumstances, in the wake of the peace accord signed between the federal government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the northern part of the country has jump-started breathing a sigh of relief and continued moving forward in the right direction.
Among the successes the peace accord registered is the recently commenced DDR for ex-combatants. The National Rehabilitation Commission of Ethiopia announced that the process of Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) of ex-militants and relocating them to rehabilitation centers in the country was started recently.
The move aims to reintegrate 371,971 ex-combatants identified across various regions of Ethiopia, facilitating their return to normal life within society. Speaking to the media, National Rehabilitation Commission Commissioner, Temesgen Tilahun highlighted the commission's mission and activities. The aim is to disarm former militants and integrate them into the country's peace, democracy, and development efforts.
Accordingly, with the government's allocation of 1 billion Birr and additional 60 million USD from international partners, the disarming of 75,000 ex-militants was begun in the Tigray state in the first phase to ensure their sustainable reintegration. Three rehabilitation centers have been identified in Mekelle, Edagahamus, and Adwa in the Tigray state, the commissioner pointed out.
Over a two-year period, the commission plans to reintegrate the 371,971 ex-militants identified nationwide ensuring their permanent settlement within the community. The Commissioner said that the government is working with commitment on disarming and rehabilitating ex-militants in various states, undergoing rehabilitation training and support necessary to rejoin society.
In a similar vein, after the peace accord, the inhabitants of the northern part of the country plunged into getting back on the right track. At that specific juncture, the challenges were not as easy as taking candy from a baby and as easy as falling off a log.
It is important to highlight that the AU-brokered peace agreement has been turning the mantra of African solutions to African problems into reality. The agreement that took place in South Africa has won the hearts and minds of the wider international community at the earliest possible juncture and has proven to be the talk of the world.
In point of fact, the federal government of Ethiopia at different points of time has been bending over backwards to put the Pretoria peace accord in place working in close collaboration with various stakeholders. On the basis thereof, the northern part of the country has been leading a meaningful life. On account of the commitment of Ethiopia, the inhabitants of the region have started getting back on the correct path and leading a meaningful life.
Albeit some entities have been making every possible effort to drag through the mud the AU brokered peace agreement, Ethiopia in the fullness of time turned out to be victorious over the ceasefire agreements. As things stand now, the quantum leap seized by the government has been assisting the progress of the implementation of the peace agreement.
On the heels of the unwavering stance of the federal government and various stakeholders, the Pretoria accord has been going as planned and coming to fruition.
Though a lot of endeavors have been made by various bodies to belittle the role of AU and take the case to other bodies under the guise of a broad range of lame reasons, they failed to attain the aspirational objective. The accord in black and white demonstrates the fact that any dispute can be resolved through round table discussions no matter what the case may be.
It should be remembered that in the course of the war, quite a lot of print and electronic media outlets had been pulling out all the stops with a focus on upping the ante and bamboozling the wider international community with their usual cooked-up stories that do not reflect the existing reality on the ground.
No matter how hard they tried, all their efforts went for nothing because of the concerted efforts of Ethiopians residing in every nook and cranny of world. By standing in unison the people of Ethiopia ended up pouring cold water on scaremongers' evil intention that do not reflect the existing reality on the ground.
In actual fact, the federal government has played a huge role in restoring peaceful relations in the timeliest manner possible. Other than that global community has been playing a paramount role in standing by the side of the AU brokered peace deal.
Ethiopian President Taye Atseke Selassie lauded the Pretoria Peace Agreement as a landmark achievement, embodying the principle of African solutions to African problems, according to information obtained from local media.
Speaking at the Continental Conference on Peace, Prosperity, and Development held recently in Addis Ababa, the President emphasized that the agreement is a powerful example of Africa's capacity to address its own challenges through homegrown initiatives and collaboration.
Through the African Union (AU)-led process, a two-year northern conflict ended and the Pretoria Peace accord was signed in 2022.
"The Pretoria Peace Agreement, which has been mentioned time and again, is indeed a testament to the principles of African solutions to African problems," President Taye stated.
He also underscored Ethiopia's commitment to prioritizing peace and unity over discord, citing the ongoing national dialogue process as a cornerstone of the country's peace-building efforts.
"We decided to prioritize peace over discord. Once and for all, alongside our conflict, I want to open a new chapter of the national dialogue process that we have embarked upon to liberate indigenous peoples."
The President noted the vital role of development in fostering sustainable peace, calling for a "fundamental reimagining of development and security paradigms" to address the shifting geopolitical landscape.
Taye further highlighted Africa's untapped potential, particularly its youth and women, as key drivers of peace and prosperity.
It is crystal clear that following the war, the northern part of the country was between the devil and the deep blue sea. As the Ethiopian government is fully committed to effectuating the Pretoria peace agreement making the most of fruitful approaches, Ethiopia kicked off achieving the intended target over time. This being the case, the desired target is being accomplished at various points in time.
In concrete terms, the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA) brokered by AU is a living testimony to Africa's ability to get to the bottom of its quandaries devoid of the meddling of third parties' dictation. More to the point, the peace accord is the manifestation of the practicability of a continental-led approach to resolving skirmishes in negotiation in a peaceful atmosphere.
African nations without batting an eye should effectuate everything they can to duplicate Ethiopia's accomplishment in getting to the bottom of internal teething troubles by African mechanisms thereby bolstering the AU's role to make certain a peaceful and prosperous continent.
The Pretoria agreement, which successfully ended hostilities between the two parties, Ethiopian government and the TPLF, is a noteworthy example of Africa's ability to resolve predicaments independently.
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Ethiopia's peace agreement has contributed a significant share to turn African solutions to African problems into reality.
The Pretoria peace agreement is aninfluential example of Africa's capability to tackle its own encounters through home-based ingenuities and partnership.
Speaking to the Ethiopian Press Agency (EPA) Addis Ababa University Political Science Lecturer, Shimelis Hailu in the recent past, stated that the Pretoria accord not only curtailed the damage that had been posed on the livelihoods of civilians, but also it tackled the immense damage that had been posed in strategic infrastructure.
"Ethiopia's ability to cease hostilities could be taken as a huge lesson for Africa as well as for the rest of the world. History has taught us that it took many years to reach an agreement for many countries in similar fashion as they failed to build trust on the outcomes."
Ethiopia's ability to cease hostilities could be taken as a huge lesson for Africa as well as for the rest of the world. History has taught us that it took many years to reach an agreement for many nations in a similar fashion as they failed to build trust in the outcomes. There is no doubt that the agreement allowed putting an end to the prolonged war that could cost the lives of many more civilians.
The agreement allowed putting an end to prolonged war that could cost the lives of many more civilians. Apart from serving as a model for African nations, this success shows a new path to peaceful resolution to differences for similar situations in the country.
Following Ethiopia's commitment to AU brokered peace deal, the country in the fullness of time turned out to be successful. Therefore, various African nations should go to the ends of the earth to follow in Ethiopia's footstep in smoking the peace pipe and restoring friendly relations.
Editor's Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald
