(Reuters) – Ethiopian government and regional forces from Tigray agreed on Wednesday to cease hostilities after nearly two years of war, which has killed thousands of civilians, left millions of people needing food aid and displaced millions more.
Here are some of the main events in the conflict:
Nov. 4, 2020 – Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sends troops into Tigray, accusing the region’s ruling Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), of attacking military bases in the area.
The TPLF, which dominated national politics until Abiy took office in 2018, says it seized military equipment and took prisoners because Abiy was preparing to send in troops into the region after a September vote held in defiance of the federal government.
Nov. 9, 2020 – Ethnic killings erupt in the town of Mai Kadra, killing hundreds of people. Ethnic Tigray and Amhara civilians blame each other. Tens of thousands of Tigrayans flee western Tigray to Sudan.
Nov. 14, 2020 – The TPLF fires rockets at two airports in neighbouring Amhara region and Eritrea’s capital Asmara, accusing Eritrea of sending soldiers into Tigray.
Nov. 28, 2020 – Abiy says operations in Tigray are over and soldiers control the regional capital Mekelle.
Nov. 28-29, 2020 – Eritrean troops kill hundreds of people in the town of Axum.
February-March 2021 – Tigrayan civilians move deeper into Tigray from the west, whose fertile fields are also claimed by Amhara.
March 23, 2021 – Abiy confirms that Eritrean troops entered Tigray, after months of denials from both nations.
June 11, 2021 – The United Nations says 350,000 Tigrayans are experiencing famine conditions with millions at risk. It accuses Ethiopia of using food as a weapon; Ethiopia denies it.
June 29, 2021 – Forces loyal to the TPLF take control of Mekelle after months of fighting. Ethiopian and Eritrean troops withdraw from most of Tigray except west Tigray.
July 13, 2021 – Tigray forces move south and west into land claimed by Amhara.
July 19, 2021 – Tigray forces attack the Afar region, moving towards a vital road and railway to Ethiopia’s neighbour Djibouti.
Sept. 29, 2021 – Only a trickle of food aid reaches Tigray. The United Nations accuses the government of a de facto blockade, which it denies.
Oct. 11, 2021 – Ethiopia launches a ground offensive to push Tigray forces out of Amhara and Afar and then restarts air strikes in Tigray.
Nov. 2, 2021 – Ethiopia declares a six-month state of emergency after Tigray forces gain territory and say they are considering marching on Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa.
December 2021 – Ethiopia’s military recaptures the town of Lalibela from Tigray forces, the first of a string of gains.
Feb 15, 2022 – Ethiopia’s parliament votes for an early end to the six-month state of emergency.
March 24, 2022 – Ethiopia’s government declares a unilateral truce to allow aid into Tigray. Tigray forces later say they will respect a ceasefire if sufficient aid is delivered.
April 1, 2022 – Twenty trucks carrying food aid enter territory controlled by Tigray forces, the first time aid enters Tigray by road since mid-December. More starts arriving.
June 14, 2022 – The federal government forms a committee to negotiate with forces from Tigray, a public step to peace talks.
Aug. 20, 2022 – The World Food Programme says almost half the population of Tigray is in “severe” need of food.
Aug. 24, 2022 – Fighting between Tigray and government forces erupts around the town of Kobo, ending a ceasefire.
Sept. 20, 2022 – Tigray forces say troops from neighbouring Eritrea launched a “full-scale offensive” in the region.
Oct. 5, 2022 – More than 50 people are killed in an air strike that hit a school sheltering displaced people.
Oct. 5, 2022 – Ethiopia’s government and forces from Tigray accept an African Union invitation for talks in South Africa.
Oct. 17, 2022 – The Ethiopian army captures Shire, a key town in the north of Tigray.
Oct. 25, 2022 – After two weeks of delays, the first formal peace talks begin in Pretoria, South Africa.
Nov. 2, 2022 – The government and Tigray forces agree a cessation of hostilities.
(Reporting by Nairobi newsroom; Editing by Alexandra Zavis and Edmund Blair)
