Ethiopia's double Olympic gold medallist has led a group of athletes back home to Tigray after a peace deal to end the two-year war was agreed ©EAF

Ethiopia's double Olympic gold medallist Derartu Tulu today led a delegation of athletes from Tigray to its capital Mek'ele as part of a peace process in the troubled region.

Tigray forces, who fought a two-year war against Ethiopia's Government, began handing over heavy weaponry to the national army as part of an African Union-led peace process today.

Tulu, now President of the Ethiopian Athletics Federation (EAF), travelled with athletes as they returned home to see their families following the cessation of hostilities.

The Barcelona 1992 and Sydney 2000 Olympic 10,000 metres champion was accompanied on a flight to Mek'ele by members of the EAF Executive Committee.

On their arrival, Tulu and the delegation were met at the airport by Debretsion Gebremichael, President of the Tigray Region and chairman of Tigray People's Liberation Front.

Last July, long-time critic of the conflict Tulu pleaded with the Government in Addis Ababa to remove the blockade that prevented Tigray-born athletes from reaching their families in region.

Native Tigrayan female athletes Gotytom Gebreslase, Letesenbet Gidey and Gudaf Tsegay won three of Ethiopia's four gold medals at last year's World Athletics Championships in Eugene in the United States.

Gebreslase won the marathon, Gidey the 10,000m and Tsegay the 5,000m as Ethiopia finished second on the overall medals table with four gold, four silver and two bronze, with only the hosts, the United States, claiming more.

But Tulu had claimed that some athletes remained stuck in Tigray and were unable to participate in the Championships.

The conflict has created famine-like conditions for hundreds of thousands of Tigray's population, killed up to 600,000 people and displaced millions across northern Ethiopia.

The handover of weapons in the town of Agulae, around 30 kilometres northeast of Mek'ele, is being overseen by a monitoring team comprising members of the two sides and a regional body, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development.

Gotytom Gebreslase was among three Tigray-born athletes who claimed gold medals for Ethiopia at last year's World Championships in Eugene when she won the marathon ©Getty Images
Gotytom Gebreslase was among three Tigray-born athletes who claimed gold medals for Ethiopia at last year's World Championships in Eugene when she won the marathon ©Getty Images

At the ceremony today, Tigray Defence Forces (TDF) representative Mulugeta Gebrechristos predicted the start of the disarmament would play a key role in restoring peace.

"We are operating with the belief that if we are to have peace, all things that open the door for provocation must not be there. Peace is vital for us all," Mulugeta said in a speech broadcast on Tigrai TV.

Aleme Tadesse, a representative of the Ethiopian Army, was optimistic that peace will be maintained.

"We are all [part of] one Ethiopia," he said.

"Both us and the TDF have moved from our respective defensive positions in peace, understanding and love."