Peace talks could take place in Nairobi in the coming days with representatives of the TPLF and the Ethiopian government

Ethiopia sets up a committee to negotiate with Tigray's rebel forces

photo_camera AFP/EDUARDO SOTERAS - Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (L) addresses members of Parliament during a session, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 14 June 2022

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has unveiled the creation of a committee to negotiate peace talks with the Tigray Liberation Front (TPLF). The announcement marks the first public confirmation of a key step towards peace negotiations in a war that began in November 2020 and has left more than 9 million people displaced, thousands dead and a famine condemning much of the country. 

"With regard to peace, a committee has been established and will study how we will conduct the talks," Abiy told parliament. The committee, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen, has 10 to 15 days to finalise details of the negotiations.

Debretsion Gebremichael, chairman of the TPLF, has issued an official statement on the peace talks in which he said he would participate in the peace process. "The position of the Government of Tigray remains unchanged. We participate in a credible and impartial peace process that involves all parties in a serious and inclusive manner. Likewise, we are ready to send a high-level delegation with a clear mandate and precise instructions to the talks organised by the Kenyan government," Gebremichael said. 

These peace talks are thus expected to take place in Nairobi, as provided by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. In contrast, the TPLF has acknowledged Kenya's "impartiality, honesty and solidarity towards Ethiopia", while strongly criticising the African Union's passivity towards the conflict.

Abiy Ahmed

The forthcoming peace talks are expected to put an end to a conflict that has plunged the Horn of Africa country into a severe famine that has killed thousands of civilians. This situation led to the decree of a "humanitarian truce" last March so that aid could reach the most affected areas, but the truth is that it has been violated by both sides, especially to the detriment of Abiy Ahmed's international popularity. 

The federal government's blockade, which prevented the delivery of humanitarian aid to Tigray, the region most affected by the conflict, together with UN reports of mass killings of civilians, sexual violence, the detention of journalists and allegations of "ethnic cleansing", have plunged Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, a former Nobel Peace Prize laureate, into a complicated situation of unpopularity. For the moment, it has led to the suspension of an important trade agreement with the United States that could give Ethiopia preferential access to US markets.

Mapa Tigray

In any case, the attacks continue and it is not only the TPLF that is at odds with the Ethiopian authorities. The Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) and the Gambella Liberation Front are also fighting in the country. In the last hours several attacks on the Ethiopian authorities have been reported, according to which they have been able to stabilise the situation without any casualties so far. 

The OLA has repeatedly claimed several attacks in what amounts to its struggle for the secession of Oromia, especially after its alliance with the TPLF, and for which it is also requested to be present at the peace negotiations with the central government in Nairobi.

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