The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu has hailed the successful diplomatic efforts of former president Olusegun Obasanjo in Ethiopia.
After two years of horrific conflict that took thousands of lives and left millions in need of relief, Obasanjo oversaw an African Union diplomatic mission that resulted in a peace accord between Ethiopia and Tigray.
Reacting to the development on Thursday via his official Twitter account, Tinubu stated that he hopes that the peace treaty would provide a permanent solution to the crises.
“I commend the statesmanship of former President Olusegun Obasanjo as he continues his contribution to the stability of the African continent with a successful diplomatic mission in Ethiopia where he led the mediation of an important peace treaty.
“It is hoped that the process results, ultimately, in the permanent resolution of the conflict and a full commitment to the cause of unity, restoration, and development,” the former Lagos State governor said.
After a little over a week of talks in South Africa, headed by the African Union, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s administration and Tigrayan rebels announced a surprising agreement that was applauded by the US, the UN, and others.
Obasanjo described the achievement as a new dawn when he announced it nearly exactly two years to the day after the conflict began in November 2020.
“Today is the beginning of a new dawn for Ethiopia, for the Horn of Africa, and indeed for Africa as a whole.
“The two parties in the Ethiopian conflict have formally agreed to the cessation of hostilities as well as the systematic, orderly, smooth, and coordinated disarmament,” Obasanjo said at a briefing in Pretoria.
Obasanjo also added that they also agreed on a “restoration of law and order, restoration of services, unhindered access to humanitarian supplies, protection of civilians… among other areas of agreement”.
