MEKELLE (Tigray, Ethiopia), Dec 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Families wept and kissed the tarmac at the main airport in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region as they reunited after being kept apart by war for more than 18 months.
The emotional scenes followed the resumption of commercial flights between the federal capital Addis Ababa and the regional capital Mekelle.
The city, which has a population of around 500,000, was largely cut off from the rest of the world during a brutal two-year war that claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people, and displaced millions of others.
The government and Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) finally signed a peace accord last month, opening the way for passenger flights to resume.
TPLF-controlled Tigrai TV showed footage of passengers dropping to their knees and kissing the tarmac at the airport in Mekelle.
There were also emotional scenes at Addis Ababa’s Bole International Airport, as people flew in from Tigray.
The war started after a massive fall-out between Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the TPLF-controlled regional government.
Abiy accused Tigrayan forces of attacking military bases and trying to overthrow him.
The African Union (AU) brokered a deal between the two sides last month to end hostilities and to restore basic services in Tigray. — NNN-AGENCIES