Addis Abeba – Ethiopian Federal Police said its members were deployed in Mekelle, the capital of the Tigray regional state and commenced its constitutional mandate of girding federal institutions and installations.
In a statement on Thursday evening, the federal police force said the deployment is based on the CoHA agreement signed between Ethiopian government and the Tigrayan authorities.
The permanent CoHA Article 8 (3) states that, “The ENDF, the Federal Police and other federal security organs shall take full and effective control of national airspace, aviation safety and security, and all federal facilities, installations, and major infrastructure such as airports and highways within the Tigray Region”.
The Federal Police said its members will be deployed to guard Airports, Electric and Telecom service stations, banks and other federal institutions in the Tigray Region, adding that it has been carrying out works to stabilize and help people return to their homes in other parts of the region.
The Federal police announcement came following a surprise visit to Mekelle by federal high-level government delegation led by the Speaker of the House of People’s Representatives (HoPR). The delegation met with and held discussions with the regional state authorities including the region’s leader Debretison Gebremichael.
The resumption of commercial flights by Ethiopian Airlines followed by restoration of telephone services by Ethio Telecom in Mekelle and other parts of the region were the major announcements made in the wake of the visit towards the gradual lifting of the blockade.
It comes in the same day when Mekelle is hosting the official launch of the Joint Monitoring and Verification Mechanism team as provided by Article 11 of the permanent CoHA.
Accordingly, Olusegun Obasanjo, AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa, Uhuru Kenyatta, former Kenyan President and Kenya’s Horn of Africa Peace Envoy, & Dr Workneh Gebeyehu, Executive Secretary of IGAD, and others arrived in Mekelle to take part in the official launch of the Joint Monitoring & Verification Mechanism.
Earlier, the regional state media Dimtsi Woyane (DW) reported the arrival of ambassadors and other diplomats from “more than 32 countries.” The arrival include, Ethiopia’s Justice Minister Dr Gedion Thimotios, the British Ambassador to Ethiopia, as well as diplomats from the AU & European countries. AS
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