Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali Friday held the first consultations with leaders of the northern Tigray state since the federal government signed a peace deal with Tigrayan leaders in November 2022. The treaty ended a protracted two-year-long civil war that resulted in the displacement of millions, alleged crimes against humanity and widespread famine.

National Security Adviser Redwan Hussein stated that the meeting reviewed the progress made since the deal was signed. Ali made decisions regarding air travel, banking, and other services that would make the lives of civilians in the war-torn region easier. The state-run Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation corroborated this statement.

Ethiopia and the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front, the paramilitary group in control of the region signed an African Union-brokered peace deal after a week of negotiations in Pretoria, South Africa. Accordingly, Tigrayan rebels agreed to disarm in exchange for the resumption of humanitarian aid to the area. However, the government of Eritrea, an ally of Ethiopia, was not a party to this deal and their status in this conflict remains unclear.

Human rights groups documented numerous war crimes after the violence began in 2020. Tigrayan, Ethiopian and Eritrean forces all engaged in the extrajudicial killing of civilians. Regardless, the UN hailed the peace agreement as a “first step” towards ending the conflict.