Ethiopia-Tigray peace talks slated for next week in South Africa
The Ethiopian government stated that negotiations to end Tigray’s nearly two-year war would begin in South Africa next week.
Since the African Union’s unsuccessful attempt earlier this month to bring the warring parties at a negotiating table, there have been increasing appeals from around the world for an end to the violence that is spreading in northern Ethiopia.
“The African Union Commission (AUC) has notified us that the Peace Talks will take place in South Africa on October 24, 2022. We have reiterated our dedication to taking part, “Redwan Hussein, national security advisor to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, stated.
“However, we are appalled that some are determined to sabotage the peace talks & spread untrue claims about the defensive measures,” he added.
Olusegun Obasanjo, a representative of the African Union, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, a former vice president of South Africa, and Kenya’s former president Uhuru Kenyatta, would serve as the mediators for discussions between the leaders of the government and the TPLF.
According to reports, this week, as part of “defensive measures,” the Ethiopian government promised to wrest control of airports and other federal institutions from the rebels.
It has been established that in the troubled region, which has been mostly under rebel control since mid-2021, Ethiopian soldiers and their Eritrean allies claim to have taken control of a number of cities.
Reports from the UN this week state that the situation was out of control and taking an “utterly staggering” toll on civilians.
Tigray and its six million residents are essentially blocked from the outside world due to severe fuel, food, and medical shortages as well as a lack of basic amenities like electricity and communications.
