Ethiopia’s Tigrayan rebels start handing over heavy weapons
Al JazeeraNov 02, 2022
French, German Foreign Ministers Hail Ethiopian Peace Process
Image copyright: AFP [via Voice of America]
The Facts
During a joint visit to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Thursday, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and her German counterpart Annalena Baerbock welcomed the progress made in implementing the Ethiopian peace deal signed last year.
Colonna and Baerbock arrived in Ethiopia a day after the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) reportedly agreed to surrender its heavy weapons - a critical element of the peace deal signed in the South African capital of Pretoria on Nov. 2.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
The peace deal is a major victory for Ethiopia, which has pursued a sovereign foreign policy independent of Washington and the West —especially given that it was the West that fueled the war against Ethiopia for selfish reasons and only changed its neocolonial course when the conflict threatened to spiral out of control. That France and Germany are now acting as "agents of peace" which is is nothing short of hypocrisy.
Pro-establishment narrative
The West was rightly critical of the Ethiopian government during the war, especially in light of the numerous reports of human rights violations that ran counter to its values. Claims that the West supported the Tigrayan rebels with purely tactical motives are erroneous, as it was thanks to the EU's diplomatic efforts that a peace treaty was eventually signed. Given Russia's and China's increased meddling in the region, the West should now seize the opportunity to support Ethiopia on the path to sustainable peace and democracy.