Ethiopian President Sahle-work Zewde on Monday reiterated calls for negotiations and other means of peaceful resolution to put an end to the country’s nearly two year civil war. reported The Africa News.
Zewde made the call while addressing the Ethiopian parliament on next fiscal year’s budget.
“The government has stated clearly that it will always keep the door open for peace,” the Ethiopian president said.
She said the government will continue to support the African Union peace effort. She urged for negotiations without any conditions, believing that any form of differences may be resolved through discussions.
The president, however, also stated that the government will not tolerate any kind of provocation meant to obstruct the peace process.
President Zewde’s remarks come at a time the long-awaited AU brokered peace talks in South Africa were postponed on alleged grounds of problems related to logistics. No new date for the meeting has been set yet.
The meeting between the Ethiopian government representatives and Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) leaders would have been the first since a ceasefire broke down in late August. There have been several attempts by international organizations to end the conflict in Tigray, but no formal talks have taken place.
“This year, we must put all of our efforts to bring the war that has tested our nation to end in peace,” the Ethiopian president added.
The conflict between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), a political group that has ruled the northern region for decades, and Ethiopian central government forces began in November 2020. The war has already claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. It has also resulted in massive internal displacement and destruction of properties.
The fighting also has spilled over into Ethiopia’s neighbouring regions of Amara and Afar as Tigray forces have tried to pressure the government, putting hundreds of thousands of other civilians at risk.
