Ethiopian government, Tigray officials meet in Nairobi to continue peace talks

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) – Officials from the Ethiopian government and Tigray forces on Monday met for a second round of peace talks in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

The Africa Union organized the talks on “implementation of the cessation of hostilities agreement” between Ethiopia and the Tigray Peoples' Liberation Front (TPLF).

Former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, who hosted the talks, told the media on the sidelines of the talks that he is very optimistic that Ethiopia will finally find a long-term solution to the civil strife that led to a recently ended two-year war.

“We are here as facilitators convinced that these brothers who know each other very well will be able to work and formulate together the best way to bring a permanent cessation and resolution to the problem,” Kenyatta said.

“I am certain that at the conclusion of this process, they are colleagues that will be working together for the betterment of Ethiopia, for the benefit of our region and ultimately join us all in our struggle to make Africa a better place and to end and silence the guns permanently,” he told representatives from the Ethiopian government and the TPLF.

Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, the African Union’s high representative for the Horn of Africa, told a news conference that with the talks, both parties are inching closer to a permanent solution.

“The first sign for me of the progress after the signing of the agreement is the fact that between them they have exchanged a hotline,” he said.

The hotline will coordinate disengagements in the event of any reported combat between forces, address any escalation in hostilities, and facilitate communication between senior commanders of both sides.

According to the African Union, the meeting should also provide a roadmap for immediate humanitarian access and restoration of services in the northern Tigray region. The expected outcomes of the conference include modalities for silencing guns, humanitarian access, and restoring services in the region.

The meeting is facilitated by Obasanjo together with Kenyatta and Phumzile Mlambo Ngcuka, former deputy president of South Africa.

On Nov, 2, peace talks between Ethiopia's government and the Tigray rebels bore fruit, bringing to an end a two-year war that has killed over half a million people and displaced many others.