PM Abiy Ahmed appoints Getachew Reda as president of northern Tigray region's interim administration, just a day after parliament removed TPLF rebel group from an official list of terrorist organisations.
The peace deal signed in South Africa's capital Pretoria, the TPLF agreed to disarm in return for the restoration of access to Tigray, which was largely cut off from the outside world during the conflict.
The United States has estimated that some 500,000 people died in Ethopia's two-year conflict, making it one of the deadliest wars of the 21st century.
The team will oversee the implementation of last month's peace agreement with Tigray's rebels in the first visit by a high-level federal delegation to the region in two years.
Commander-in-chief of the Tigray rebel forces says 65 percent of his forces "disengaged", a key provision of a ceasefire agreement signed early last month to end the two-year conflict.
Addis Ababa says that controlling airports in the restive region would enable the government to expedite humanitarian aid to people in need.
Talks between Ethiopia's government and rival Tigray regional rebel forces would be the first formal negotiations between the two sides since war broke out in November 2020.
There was no immediate response from the Tigray rebels, although the group last month had said they were ready to participate in AU-mediated peace talks.
African Union welcomed the statement from the rebels as the Ethiopian government had previously announced readiness for peace talks.
Mike Hammer, the US special envoy for the Horn of Africa, will head this weekend to Ethiopia and "convey that all parties should halt military operations and engage in peace talks," says White House.
The bombardment came just days after fighting erupted on Tigray's southern border between government forces and rebels, ending a five-month truce.
The Ethiopian government accuses the TPLF of launching an attack and "destroying the truce," while the rebels claim the military began a “large-scale” offensive towards southern Tigray.
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