Ethiopia's truce is a step toward ending civil war, but there are reasons for caution

Redwan Hussein (seated left), representative of the Ethiopian government, and Getachew Reda (seated right), representative of the Tigray People's Liberation Front, sign a peace agreement between the two parties in Pretoria, South Africa, Wednesday. (Phill Magokoe/AFP via Getty Images)

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Now that two of the warring parties in Ethiopia have signed a landmark peace deal, the world is watching to see if it will truly mean the end of one of the world's deadliest conflicts.

The deal was struck Wednesday as the war neared the two-year mark since fighting erupted in the Tigray region, in the early hours of Nov. 4, 2020. The fighting has killed hundreds of thousands of people, uprooted millions from their homes and devastated one of Africa's biggest economies.