The Ethiopian government declared a ceasefire in the conflict with its Tigray region on Monday.
The ceasefire will be immediate and unilateral, according to the Associated Press. The war, which has killed thousands and caused horrible famine for the people who live there, has persisted for eight months.
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Ethiopia said the pause in fighting is slated to last through the planting season, which stretches into September, to “enable farmers to till their land, aid groups to operate without any military movement around and engage with remnants (of Tigray’s former ruling party) who seek peace.”
“I am hopeful that an effective cessation of hostilities will take place,” said U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres in a statement, noting he spoke with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
The conflict began in November when the prime minister accused Tigrayan fighters of attacking federal officials.
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front was the dominant party of the nation’s ruling coalition for many years. In 2018, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front coalition appointed Abiy as prime minister.
Abiy disbanded the coalition and founded the Prosperity Party soon thereafter against the wishes of the TPLF.
Ethiopian soldiers have been accused of turning away and stealing food aid from Tigrayan civilians and barring farmers from plowing their fields or harvesting their crops.
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“If things don’t change soon, mass starvation is inevitable,” one humanitarian worker told the Associated Press for a June 11 report. “This is a man-made disaster.”
Health workers said more than 60 people were killed during a military airstrike in the region last week, increasing national attention to the fighting.
