Ethiopian Airlines resumed flights to the Tigrayan city of Mekelle on Wednesday, after 18 months of armed conflict cut the Ethiopian region off from the rest of the world.  

Many passengers arriving on the first flights from Tigray to Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa were greeting by their elated family members on Thursday. 

A shutdown in communications for much of the two-year conflict meant millions of Tigrayans have not spoken to their family in over 18 months, and many are still waiting to learn if their loved ones are still alive. 

Ethio Telecom reconnected its services to Mekelle and 28 other towns this week, according to the Ethiopian prime minister’s office. Repairs to more than half of the 1,800 km fiber-optic cable network in war-affected areas have been completed, the government said in a statement.

Mediators of the signed peace deal have gathered in Mekelle, Nuur Mohamud Sheekh, spokesperson for the regional Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), said on Thursday.

After more than a month delay, the joint monitoring and verification team, comprising representatives of the federal government, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and IGAD has been assigned, government national security adviser Redwan Hussien told Reuters.

Federal police said their officers had entered Mekelle and begun operations protecting federal institutions such as banks, the airport, and power and telecom infrastructures, in line with the provisions of the truce.

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