Ethiopia’s largest bank, the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, declared on Monday that it has reopened its doors to business in some towns in the unstable Tigray region after a more than 12-month hiatus.
“Following the recent peace agreement, the branches we have in the towns of Shire, Alamata and Korem have started receiving money sent from abroad and locally. And they have also received money on deposit,” the bank said in a statement.
The bank said it was “continuing its efforts to expand (its) services and gradually resume operations in all branches.
The government and rebels signed an agreement in Pretoria on November 2 that included a cessation of hostilities, the withdrawal and disarmament of tiger forces, the restoration of federal authority in Tigray and the reopening of access to the region, which is in a catastrophic humanitarian situation.
On December 7, tiger authorities confirmed that Mekele, the capital of Tigray region, had been reconnected to the national power grid after more than a year of being cut off due to the war in the northern region of Ethiopia.
The northernmost region of Ethiopia, home to six million people, has been virtually cut off from the world since the start of a conflict between the federal government led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the regional authorities of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
It had been deprived of many basic services (electricity, telecommunications, banks, fuel, etc.) for more than a year.
The fighting began in November 2020, when Abiy Ahmed sent the federal army to arrest the region’s leaders, who had been challenging his authority for months and whom he accused of attacking federal military bases.
On December 7, tiger authorities confirmed that Mekele, the capital of Tigray region, had been reconnected to the national power grid after more than a year of being cut off due to the war in the northern region of Ethiopia.
The northernmost region of Ethiopia, home to six million people, has been virtually cut off from the world since the start of a conflict between the federal government led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the regional authorities of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
It had been deprived of many basic services (electricity, telecommunications, banks, fuel, etc.) for more than a year.
The fighting began in November 2020, when Abiy Ahmed sent the federal army to arrest the region’s leaders, who had been challenging his authority for months and whom he accused of attacking federal military bases.
Sourc: African News
