Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Tuesday said his government has formed a committee to negotiate with the Tigrayan rebel forces, who have been locked in a 19-month-long war with federal forces, reported The East African.
While addressing the members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Abiy said a committee has been established to spearhead the talks.
“Negotiation needs a lot of work,” the Ethiopian prime minister said, adding that the team “will study how we will conduct talks.”
He said that the committee will be headed by Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonen, who also serves as foreign minister. He added that the committee has 10 to 15 days to work out on details of agendas for negotiations.
According to a government source, direct talks between the two sides would begin by the end of next month.
The fighting between the Ethiopian military and forces loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) began in November 2020 and spilled to neighboring Afar and Amhara regions last year. Thousands of people lost their lives and many more fled their homes due to the war, triggering a humanitarian crisis.
The war also pushed hundreds of thousands of people to the brink of famine. According to the United Nations, nearly nine million people have been left in need of food aid.
The TPLF claims that western Tigray, which has been occupied by Amhara forces since the war erupted in November 2020, is a non-negotiable part of Tigray.
“Any lasting solution of the current crisis must be predicated on the re-establishment of the prewar status quo ante,” the TPLF said last week.
It called for the complete withdrawal of all invading foreign forces from the Tigrayan territory. The TPLF has already asked the UN Security Council to ensure the withdrawal of Amhara forces and Eritrean troops from the region.
