After months of fighting, Ethiopia could negotiate with the Tigray rebels

At the same time, he denied that secret discussions were already underway with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which is an armed conflict opposed to the federal government between November 2020 and a ceasefire signed in March, which has been respected ever since.

Conducting negotiations is not that easy. There was a lot of work to be done (then) and a committee was set up for this, Abiy Ahmed told Ethiopian MPs.

This committee, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonen, who is also Foreign Minister, will write a report detailing the preliminary conditions for the negotiations, he said, then, this committee will be the negotiating committee.

He made sure not to secret negotiations is not conducted on TPLFas claimed and feared by officials in the Amhara region – nearby Tigray – that the forces supported the federal army in fighting the Tigrayan rebels.

” We say we want peace, does not mean we will conduct secret negotiations. These [prétendues] Secret negotiations are absurd. Peace is not something you hide. There is no reason to be upset about nothing. At the right time, we will speak. “

The territorial claims are at odds with Amhara and Tigrayans, particularly in the area of ​​western Tigray, which is currently under the control of Amhara militias and the army of neighboring Eritrea.

The rebels criticized the mediationAU

The Tigrayan rebels have made this known in recent days Western Tigray is part of Tigray in a non-negotiable way at any long -term solution the conflict required a return to previous administrative lines, which included disputed areas within Tigray.

In an open letter published Tuesday night – but dated Monday – they said they were ready participate in a credible, impartial and dignified peace process.

But they strongly criticized the mediation led by African Union (AU) representative Olusegun Obasanjo, and reported for the first time to the public a existing agreement to start negotiations under the aegis of the Kenyan presidency, which has been very active in peace efforts in Ethiopia.

The closeness of the High Representative (of the AU) to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia has gone unnoticedwritten by the head of TPLFDebretsion Gebremichael, who denounced the silence of the African Union in the war and the atrocities committed by the forces fighting with TPLF.

We remain firmly committed to the existing agreement between the parties to meet in Nairobi for negotiations led and supervised by the President of Kenya.Uhuru Kenyatta, he continued.

The conflict in Tigray began in November 2020 when Abiy Ahmed sent the federal army there – supported by Amhara forces and Eritrean troops – to remove those responsible for TPLF who governs the region, accusing them of attacking federal army bases there.

Initially defeated within a month, the forces of TPLF Almost all of Tigray resumed in 2021, even as they pushed their counter -offensive to the neighboring regions of Amhara – where they still occupy some areas – and Afar.

Humanitarian aid was allowed

The fighting has stopped since the end of March, thanks to a ceasefire humane.

But the humanitarian situation in Tigray, which has been deprived of essential services – telecommunications, internet, banking – is catastrophic, according to humanitarian actors.

The Ethiopian government again authorized the delivery of aid to Tigray on the road, after a three -month hiatus, and the convoys returned to the road on 1 April.

But the help delivered since April has been meager to meet growing demand of the region, according to Ocha, the humanitarian agency ofUN.