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New October date set for talks in Ethiopia’s Tigray war

Published:Friday | October 21, 2022 | 12:12 AM
Members of the Tigrayan community protest against the conflict between Ethiopia and Tigray rebels in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, outside the the United Arab Emirates embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, Wednesday, Oct. 12. Tigray rebels and Ethiopia’s fede
AP
Members of the Tigrayan community protest against the conflict between Ethiopia and Tigray rebels in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, outside the the United Arab Emirates embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, Wednesday, Oct. 12. Tigray rebels and Ethiopia’s federal government were scheduled to participate in African Union-brokered peace talks in South Africa on Oct. 8 but they were delayed while logistical issues and security arrangements are being ironed out.

ADDIS ABABA, (AP):

The African Union has scheduled peace talks to resolve Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict for October 24, the Ethiopian prime minister’s national security adviser said Thursday.

The statement from Redwan Hussein came as fighting continued between Ethiopia’s federal government troops and the authorities in Tigray.

Earlier this week, Ethiopia’s government said it was aiming to control all airports in the region and announced the capture of three key cities, including Shire, which is home to large numbers of people displaced by the conflict.

Diplomats have urged the parties to agree to an immediate cease-fire. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has most recently described the situation in Tigray as “spiralling out of control,” and USAID Administrator Samantha Power warned of the potential for “further widespread atrocities” in northern Ethiopia if fighting persists.

Redwan tweeted that the peace talks are due to be held in South Africa.

“We have reconfirmed our commitment to participate,” he said. “However, we are dismayed that some are bent on pre-empting the peace talks and spreading false allegations against the defensive measures.”

African Union-led talks were previously planned for Oct.ober 8, but were postponed because of logistical and technical issues. The talks were due to be led by the AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa, former Nigerian leader Olusegun Obasanjo, supported by former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, a former deputy president of South Africa.