The bloc highlights that “it is a solid pillar” to “preserve the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of the country
Nov. 3 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The African Union (AU) has stated that the cessation of hostilities agreed between the Government of Ethiopia and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Tigray (TPLF) represents “an important step” and has stressed that “it represents a solid pillar” to “preserve sovereignty and territorial integrity” of the country.
The AU has highlighted in a statement published on its website that the agreement, reached after the bloc’s mediation, is also a step towards “an immediate cessation of hostilities” and “the resumption of unrestricted humanitarian access”, as well as for “restoration of services” and “healing and reconciliation”.
For this reason, the members of the high-level team for the peace talks in South Africa — made up of former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and former South African Vice President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka — have congratulated the parties for their “commitment” and “stellar leadership ” during contacts.
Thus, they have stated that both the Ethiopian Government and the TPLF “have prioritized the Ethiopian people and the supreme interests of the Ethiopian nation”, while they have shown their “commitment and willingness to continue accompanying the process towards a more democratic, fair and inclusive”.
For his part, the current president of the AU, the Senegalese Macky Sall, praised the agreement “is excellent news.” “I congratulate the parties and strongly encourage them to persevere on the path of a definitive peace”, he has stated through his account on the social network Twitter.
The Ethiopian government and the TPLF released a statement on Wednesday in which they pledged to apply “transitional measures” to restore constitutional order in the Tigray region (north), as well as to develop a framework to resolve differences. policies and another to guarantee accountability.
The TPLF agreed to sit down for a dialogue with the Ethiopian government at the beginning of October, an initiative proposed by the AU to reach a “peaceful resolution of the current conflict”. One of the conditions of the TPLF was that during the negotiations there be “additional actors” as observers or guarantors.
The conflict in Tigray broke out in November 2020 after an attack by the TPLF against the main Army base, located in Mekelle, after which the Abiy Ahmed government ordered an offensive against the group after months of political and administrative tensions. A “humanitarian truce” is currently in force, although both sides have accused each other of preventing the delivery of aid.
The TPLF has accused Abiy of stirring up tensions since he came to power in April 2018, when he became the first Oromo to take office. Until then, the TPLF had been the dominant force within the ethnically based coalition that had governed Ethiopia since 1991, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). The group opposed Abiy’s reforms, seeing them as an attempt to undermine his influence.
