Tigray rebels want Kenya's president to lead peace talks with Ethiopian government

By Addis Getachew and Seleshi Tessema

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AA) – Tigray rebels have said they will be willing to hold peace talks with the Ethiopian government if they are conducted by an international mediation committee led by Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta.

“We express our confidence in the government of Kenya and our appreciation for Uhuru Kenyatta for his sustained, principled, impartial, inclusive and discreet efforts to broker peace negotiations with a view to a comprehensive resolution of the crisis in Ethiopia,” Debretsion Gebremichael, leader of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

He proposed that the United Nations, European Union, United Arab Emirates, United States and African Union (AU) should be part of the Kenyatta-led international mediation committee.

Earlier on Tuesday, during a parliamentary question and answer session, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said the government has formed a committee to explore ways for a peaceful settlement.

He, however, emphasized that no talks had started between the Ethiopian government and the TPLF.

Armed conflict between the TPLF and Ethiopian federal forces began in November 2020, when the rebels stormed army bases throughout the northern Tigray region, including its capital Mekele.

- AU’s ‘betrayal’

The TPLF statement sharply criticized the AU for its “silence” and “failures” during the conflict.

It also accused the AU’s special envoy for the Horn of Africa, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, of being close to Abiy.

“The silence of the African Union over the war and the atrocities perpetrated by the forces ranged against us was the betrayal of the foundational principles of the African Union,” read the statement.

The TPLF said it has “consistently condemned the failure of the African Union,” adding that the organization has “yet to redeem its failures and restore our trust.”​​​​​​​