The African Union (AU) called on Ethiopia’s federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) to engage in political talks “to address outstanding issues” on Saturday. The call comes more than three months after the bloc facilitated a peace deal between the two parties, ending an armed conflict in the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia.
It followed a meeting at the AU Commission Headquarters in Addis Ababa, where an AU committee invited representatives of the Ethiopian government, TPLF leaders and the Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to discuss the implementation of the November peace deal.
“The committee agreed on the urgent need for the parties to commence the political dialogue to address outstanding issues and for the AU to enhance the geographical coverage, capacities and resourcing of the [Monitoring Verification and Compliance Mechanism] MVCM,” the AU said in a statement. “The [Joint Committee] JC reaffirmed the commitment to continue collaborating with the parties to consolidate lasting peace in the Tigray region.”
The African Union also called on partners “to intensify their support for the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration” outlined in the peace agreement.
On November 2, 2022, a two-year-long armed conflict between the Ethiopian federal forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front was put to an end as a result of an AU-led peace process.
Since the signing of the agreement in Pretoria, South Africa, peaceful everyday life has gradually resumed in the northern Tigray region, where thousands of people were killed and millions of others displaced. The deal facilitated the way for humanitarian aid, access to which was previously restricted, and the gradual return of public services, including flights, banking, telecommunications, electricity, and fuel.
The conflict erupted in November 2020 when rebels of the nationalist TPLF group attacked Ethiopian military bases in what the rebels called a preemptive strike. The TPLF was dominant in the coalition that governed Ethiopia from 1991 to 2018. After the group lost its position, tensions began to grow between it and the new government.