Ethiopia declares unilateral cease-fire in Tigray

The federally backed interim leaders of Ethiopia’s Tigray region fled the capital city of Mekele and asked for a cease-fire so humanitarian aid could reach the area. The Ethiopian government on Monday declared an immediate, unilateral cease-fire, allowing Tigrayan forces to return to Mekele for the first time since November. Eight months of conflict have left hundreds of thousands of people in the region facing famine.

Will it hold? Ethiopia said the cease-fire would remain in place until the planting season ends, sometime in September, and ordered all federal and local authorities to comply. There was no immediate comment from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front fighters or from Eritrean troops, who have been supporting the Ethiopian military. More than 2 million people have fled Tigray since the federal government launched a military offensive against the semi-autonomous region in November.

Dig deeper: Read Onize Ohikere’s report in World Tour about what life has been like for the people who live in Tigray.