Ethiopian crisis: Peace talks enter the second day
Pretoria, South Africa (PANA) - The African Union (AU)-led peace talks in South Africa to end the conflict in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia enters the second day on Wednesday with the Chairperson of the AU Commission (AUC) expressing contentment at "the early demonstration of commitment" by the parties to seek a lasting political solution in the supreme interest of the country.
Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat said the launch of the first direct talks between the Government of Ethiopia and the rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), was part of the ongoing AU-led process to support the parties find a political solution to the conflict.
The talks are facilitated by Olusegun Obasanjo, the AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa and former President of Nigeria, along with former President Uhuru Kenyatta of the Republic of Kenya and former Deputy President Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka of South Africa. The talks are expected to end on 30 October.
Representatives of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the United Nations (UN) and the Government of the United States of America (USA) are participating as observers to the peace process, a statement by Mr. Faki Mahamat said.
He reiterated the AU’s continued commitment to support the parties in an "Ethiopian-owned and AU-led process to silence the guns towards a united, stable, peaceful and resilient Ethiopia".
The United States has also welcomed the start of the peace negotiations and urged the delegations to engage seriously to reach "a lasting resolution to this conflict".
A statement issued in Washington, DC, by the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said as a first priority, it was essential to achieve an immediate cessation of hostilities.
The US also called on the delegations to agree on unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance to all those in need, measures to protect civilians, and Eritrea’s withdrawal from northern Ethiopia.
He commended South Africa for hosting the talks and pledged support to the mediators.
Mr. Blinken said he had spoken with Kenyan President William Ruto, South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, and Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, to convey the urgency of ending the conflict now, adding "I will continue to consult with the AU on forging a political resolution to this destabilizing conflict".
He repeated that there was no military solution to the conflict, and these talks represented the most promising way to achieve lasting peace and prosperity for all Ethiopians.
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.
The fighting has claimed thousands of lives and caused a huge humanitarian situation in which millions of people are on the verge of starvation.
The AU, UN, many countries and humanitarian organisations have expressed deep concern about the fighting and called for a ceasefire.
-0- PANA MA 26Oct202
