Africa-Press – Rwanda. Following the sudden resumption of the fighting in late August, up until this point, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) had strenuously objected to Olusegun Obasanjo’s position as the AU’s Horn of Africa mediator, protesting against his “proximity” to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
An impediment to prospective negotiations with the government to put an end to nearly two years of conflict has been removed after Ethiopia’s Tigray insurgents declared they are prepared to participate in peace talks facilitated by the African Union (AU) without preconditions, Al-Jazeera reported on Sunday.
According to the report, the declaration was made in the midst of active international diplomatic efforts after violence broke out in northern Ethiopia in August for the first time in months, derailing a humanitarian truce.
No preconditions were included in the statement, which was released on Ethiopia’s new year, but it did indicate that it anticipated a “credible” peace process with international observers and mediators who were “mutually acceptable.”
Moussa Faki Mahamat, the chairman of the African Union Commission, was pleased with the declaration from Tigray’s authorities and its readiness to take part in an African Union-led peace process, according to the statement.
Moreover, Faki urged both sides to pursue a ceasefire as soon as possible, engage in direct discussions, and participate in an AU-led process that includes all parties’ chosen international allies.
The Ethiopian government has long held that any peace process must be mediated by the AU with its headquarters in Addis Ababa, however, officials did not immediately respond to a proposal, per the reports.
Debretsion Gebremichael, the leader of the TPLF, proposed earlier this month a ceasefire with four criteria, including “unfettered humanitarian access” and the restoration of crucial services in Tigray, which had been devastated by conflict. He also demanded that Eritrean troops leave western Tigray, a territory that is claimed by both the second-largest ethnic group in the nation, the Amharas, and the Tigrayans, in a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The extension of Obasanjo’s term was announced by Faki on Saturday. Faki added that he had spoken with Mike Hammer, the American representative for the Horn of Africa, on Saturday.
Since hostilities resumed on August 24, fighting has erupted on a number of fronts in northern Ethiopia, with each side accusing the other of opening fire and violating a March humanitarian truce. The fighting began near the southeast border of Tigray but has since moved farther west and north.
The TPLF has accused Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers of mounting a significant joint offensive on September 1. The United Nations stated on Thursday that the escalating fighting has caused a halt to both road and air supplies of much-needed aid to the war-torn region.
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