Delegations from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and the Ethiopian government began peace talks in the South African capital, Pretoria, on Tuesday, in order to “find a peaceful and lasting solution” to stop the “devastating conflict” that lasted two years in the country. announced the South African presidency.
“The peace talks organized to find a peaceful and lasting solution to the devastating conflict in the Tigray region began today on October 25 and will end on October 30,” Vincent Maguinya, spokesman for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said at a press conference. .
He added that South Africa hopes that “the talks will proceed constructively and lead to positive results that bring peace”. These talks are under the auspices of the African Union.
Fighting broke out between Tigray rebels and Ethiopian federal forces last November, plunging northern Ethiopia into a deep humanitarian crisis.
After a fragile five-month lull, fighting resumed on August 24, before Ethiopian and Eritrean forces announced on October 18 that they had taken control of several cities, including Shire, a major city in Tigray.
“There is no military solution to this conflict and these talks represent the most promising way to achieve lasting peace and prosperity for all Ethiopians,” US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in a statement welcoming the negotiations.
Moussa Faki Mahamat, president of the African Union Commission, also welcomed the start of the long-awaited talks, expressing his enthusiasm for the “proposed offer of a commitment to peace by all parties”.
In a statement, Faki reiterated “the continuing commitment of the African Union to support the parties in an Ethiopian-owned and African Union-led process to silence arms for a united, stable and peaceful Ethiopia”.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, has launched an appeal to the warring parties to take the opportunity for peace in the face of an “extremely worrying” humanitarian situation.
“I ask the government, and I ask the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, to achieve a positive result for your people, or at least to open a window for peace,” Grandi told reporters in Nairobi.
These talks are the first public dialogue between the two sides, and a Western official confirmed that previous secret contacts, organized by the United States, have taken place in the Seychelles and twice in Djibouti.
The African Mediation Team includes the High Representative of the African Union for the Horn of Africa, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, former South African Vice President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngoka and others.
On Thursday, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stressed that the war “will end and peace will prevail”.
“We will not continue to fight indefinitely,” Abyei added, not to mention the talks, as pro-government forces intensified their offensive in Tigray.
In a tweet on Sunday evening, spokesman for the rebel authorities, Kindia Gebrehiout, underlined the rebels’ demands for “the immediate cessation of hostilities, unhindered humanitarian access and the withdrawal of Eritrean forces”.
On Monday, the leader of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, Debrecen Gebremichael, released a defiant statement saying, “The Tigray army has the ability to inflict complete defeat on our enemies.” “Joint enemy forces that have entered Tigray will be buried,” he added.
