Ethiopia says Tigray peace talks to begin in South Africa on Oct. 24

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) - Peace talks between Ethiopia’s government and the Tigray rebels being organized by the African Union (AU) will commence in South Africa on Oct. 24, an official said on Thursday.

Redwan Hussien, national security adviser to the Ethiopian prime minister, said the AU has confirmed the date.

“We have reconfirmed our commitment to participate,” he said on Twitter.

“However, we are dismayed that some are bent on pre-empting the peace talks & spreading false allegations against the defensive measures,” he added, indicating there could still be hurdles in kicking off much-anticipated negotiations to end the nearly two-year conflict in northern Ethiopia.

The AU is yet to make an official announcement on the talks, which will be mediated by a team of top African politicians.

The panel is led by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is also the AU’s high representative for the Horn of Africa.

Other members are Kenya’s ex-President Uhuru Kenyatta and Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, a former deputy president of South Africa.

The development comes after Ethiopian forces recently made gains in Tigray by capturing key areas, including the strategic town of Shire.

Last Sunday, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front said it was “ready to abide by an immediate cessation of hostilities,” urging the international community to press Addis Ababa “to come to the negotiating table.”

Earlier this week, Hussien rejected recent statements from UN officials, including its chief Antonio Guterres, that the Tigray crisis “is spiraling out of control,” asserting that it was being “extinguished” thanks to Ethiopia’s efforts.

The Tigray conflict has killed thousands and displaced millions more since November 2020.

There has been intense fighting in the northern Ethiopian region since a months-long truce was shattered in late August, with reports of mass casualties and other rights violations.

A report released by UN rights experts last month accused both sides of committing abuses that border on war crimes and crimes against humanity.