Ethiopian president calls for negotiations to end Tigray war

Newly elected President Sahle-Work Zewde addresses the House of Peoples’ Representatives in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on October 25. The career diplomat is the only serving female head of state in Africa. REUTERS/TIKSA NEGERI

ADDIS ABABA - Sahle-work Zewde, the president of the federal republic of Ethiopia has pledged that she will try as much as possible to end the current civil war in the country, adding that stakeholders ought to embrace negotiations.

The Ethiopian president, who has been silent for months, said the country should have peaceful negotiations for the sake of ending the 23-month conflict, which started in November 2020.

While addressing the counter's parliament on Monday on the budget for the next fiscal year, Zewde insisted that all is not lost, adding that there is a mutual understanding that indeed the time has come to silence the guns in the country.

"The government has stated clearly that it will always keep the door open for peace. We continue to urge for negotiations without any conditions, believing that any form of differences may be resolved through discussions," said Zewde.

However, the Ethiopian president warned the Addis Ababa administration will not tolerate why provocation by the Tigray People's Liberation Front [TPLF], which has been at loggerheads with the national army for the last two years.

Her remarks come just days after the African Union announced peace talks between the two parties in South Africa over the weekend, but would later be postponed after it emerged that both sides were not prepared.

Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo was to chair the talks. The postponement may have been triggered by the decision by former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta to question the modalities of engagement since he's been picked as one of the negotiators.

"This year, we must put all of our efforts to bring the war that has tested our nation to end in peace."

Thousands of people have been killed with millions getting displaced from their homes following the Ethiopian civil war. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has also been accused of seeking military assistance from Eritrea, further causing uproar in the country.

European Union, the United Nations, and the United States have been accusing the Ethiopian government of blocking humanitarian access to Tigray, a claim which has been consistently confirmed by the TPLF team.

GAROWE ONLINE