Published: Less than 20 min ago
Ethiopia’s warring parties meet in South Africa to try to start peace talks.
The government in Addis Ababa and representatives of the Tigray region are gathering in the South African capital Pretoria after two years of fighting that tore Ethiopia apart and shattered the Tigray region.
– The talks are being initiated to find a peaceful and sustainable solution to the devastating conflict, says a spokesperson for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The negotiations are led by representatives from the African Union (AU), but they also take place in the face of government forces intensifying a military offensive against Tigray in recent weeks. Ethiopia’s government has previously been cool to proposals for negotiations.
But led by former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo, along with former Kenyan leader Uhuru Kenyatta and former South African vice president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, warring parties are in Pretoria for five days of initial talks.
The conflict between Tigrean groups and the government in Addis Ababa began in November 2020, when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent the Ethiopian army to Tigray after accusing Tigrean troops of attacks on military installations.
Several million inhabitants of Ethiopia are estimated to need emergency humanitarian aid due to the conflict which is believed to have cost the lives of half a million people.