Ethiopia's federal police deploys to Tigray's capital, Mekele

Federal police in Ethiopia began to deploy on Thursday to Mekele, the capital of war-torn Tigray province marking a new stage in a nearly two-month old peace deal.

War between the federal government and Tigray rebels began in November 2020.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent troops into the northern region after accusing its ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), of attacking army bases.

According to the US, as many as half a million people have died in the conflict.

An agreement reached on November 2nd in the South African capital Pretoria provides for the disarmament of rebel forces, the re-establishment of federal authority in Tigray and the reopening of access to the region.

On December 22nd the two sides agreed to create a joint monitoring and compliance mechanism to supervise the implementation of the peace deal.