Tigrayan forces, in Ethiopia’s northern province, have claimed the regional capital of Mekelle as the government declared a unilateral ceasefire. The army and Tigrayan rebels have engaged in eight months of conflict. Scenes of jubilation were reported on the streets of Mekelle as residents celebrated. Officials deployed by the central government are said to have fled. Reports suggest the fighting in Ethiopia’s northern region has killed thousands of people, displaced two million and brought hundreds of thousands to the brink of famine.