Ethiopian crisis: Government forces 'continue to take control of urban centres' in Tigray region
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - The Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) says it has continued to "take control of major urban centres" in the Tigray region during the past few days.
This is even as the government confirms it will participate in the African Union-led peace talks with the rebel Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) expected to open in South Africa on Monday.
A statement by the Government Communication Service (GCS) said the official delegation left for South Africa on Monday morning.
"The Government of Ethiopia views the talks as an opportunity to peacefully resolve the conflict and consolidate the improvement of the situation on the ground brought about through the sacrifices of the ENDF," it said.
The GCS said ENDF had succeeded in avoiding combat in urban areas while halting the military capabilities of the TPLF.
The statement said that the Government of Ethiopia was working in coordination with humanitarian agencies to continue providing aid in these areas.
It has also requested operators of essential services to expedite their preparation to resume services in these areas.
The Government is exploring ways in which public administration and social services in these areas could begin in consultation with the local population.
The Ethiopian Government last week announced "defensive measures", which, it said, were to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country because of the fighting.
The Government said it had assumed "immediate control of all airports, other federal facilities, and installations in the (Tigray) region".
It said this was necessary to protect Ethiopia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, in particular as it related to its airspace and to enable the Government to expedite humanitarian aid to people in need.
The statement asked civilians to stay away from TPLF military assets.
The Tigray External Affairs Office of the TPLF said in a statement last Monday that it welcomed the AU's call for a ceasefire saying that it was "ready to abide by an immediate cessation of hostilities".
The TPLF also called on the international community to compel the "Eritrean army to withdraw from Tigray, take practical steps towards an immediate cessation of hostilities, and press the Ethiopian Government to come to the negotiating table".
AU-led peace talks, which had been postponed once for logistical reasons, would be conducted through a high level panel of eminent Africans, established purposefully for the Ethiopian peace process.
The panel is led by Olusegun Obasanjo, AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa and former President of Nigeria, along with Uhuru Kenyatta, former President of Kenya, and Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, former Deputy President of South Africa and Member of the AU Panel of the Wise.
The AU, UN, many countries and humanitarian organisations have expressed deep concern about the fighting and called for a ceasefire.
The Ethiopian government troops and the TPLF forces have been locked in the conflict since November 2020. There was a five-month lull in the fighting, but hostilities resumed again on 24 August.
-0- PANA MA 24Oct2022
