The African Union-led peace talks to end a two-year conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region are set to begin on October 24 in South Africa.
Redwan Hussien, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s national security advisor, revealed the new date in a tweet on Thursday (October 20).
The African Union Commission “has informed us that the peace talks will take place in South Africa on October 24. We have reaffirmed our intention to participate “Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s National Security Advisor, Redwan Hussein, wrote.
The rebel authorities in Tigray’s northern region, which has been at odds with the federal government since early November 2020, have yet to confirm their involvement.
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After a five-month truce that raised hopes of negotiations, large-scale fighting has resumed in northern Ethiopia since August 24.
Previous talks, convened in early October by the AU in South Africa, were eventually aborted, mainly due to organizational problems, according to diplomats.
The United Nations, the United States, the European Union (EU), and the AU have in recent days sounded the alarm over the intensification of fighting in Tigray, which has been caught in a pincer movement by federal Ethiopian troops and its allies, notably the army of Eritrea, a country bordering Tigray.
On Sunday, AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat called for “an immediate and unconditional ceasefire”.
