The two sides – the government of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa, led by prime minister Abiy Ahmed, and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front – signed a ceasefire agreement in November and started discussions about a long-term peace.
According to Ethio Telecom, reported by the Ecofin news agency, service was restored after it repaired 981km of fibre out of the 1,800km damaged during the war.
Frehiwot Tamiru (pictured), CEO of Ethio Telecom, said maintenance works are continuing to restore services in parts of Tigray that still had no access.
The ceasefire agreement provided for the restoration of essential services that were suspended since the beginning of the war. The federal government committed to respecting the ceasefire terms to guarantee lasting peace.
The ceasefire provides for the restoration of essential services cut off in the region since the beginning of the war. The federal government committed to respecting the terms of the ceasefire to guarantee lasting peace but, it provided no implementation timeline.
The restoration of the services has allowed thousands of Tigrayan residents to access the internet for the first time in over two years.
After the ceasefire was agreed, the government revived its plans to sell a 40% stake in Ethio Telecom. At the same time the regulator announced plans to award a new licence to compete with both Ethio Telecom and Safaricom, which began services in 2022.
