The Ethiopian government and rebels leaders from the embattled Tigray region have accepted an invitation by the African Union (AU) to participate in peace talks in South Africa, reported The Africa News.
The African Union (AU) invited the rival factions to negotiation talks aimed at ending a two-year long conflict that has killed thousands of civilians and uprooted millions since November 2020. 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.
Ethiopia’s national security adviser Redwan Hussein confirmed that the government has accepted the invitation.
In a separate statement, the government called it “consistent with the Ethiopian government’s prior positions” that talks be mediated by the AU and be held without conditions. The statement, however, does not give details about who might attend.
Debretsion Gebremichael, leader of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) also confirmed in a statement that he is ready to send a negotiating team but has questions about who else might take part, “considering that we were not consulted prior to the issuance of this invitation.”
There have been several attempts by international organizations to end the conflict in Tigray, but no formal talks have taken place. Fighting between the Ethiopian troops and rebel forces resumed across Tigray last month after a five-month cease-fire between March and August.
The latest upsurge has also drawn Eritrean troops in Ethiopia in support of the federal and regional forces, which are fighting the TPLF on multiple fronts in the country’s north.
Last month, the Tigrayan authorities said last month they were ready to participate in talks mediated by the African Union, removing an obstacle to negotiations with the government in Addis Ababa. But fighting has only escalated in the weeks since.
Abiy’s government accuses the TPLF, which dominated Ethiopia’s ruling coalition until Abiy came to power in 2018, of trying to reassert Tigrayan dominance over Ethiopia.
