Voice of America
06 Oct 2022, 04:05 GMT+10
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA - Ethiopia's federal government says it has accepted an invitation from the African Union to take part in the peace talks aimed at ending the ongoing civil war and halting hostilities against the country's Tigray region leadership.
African Union chief Moussa Faki Mahamat extended the invitation to the peace talks in South Africa in a letter addressed to the leaders of the Tigray region and the Ethiopian federal government.
Redwan Hussein, the national security adviser to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, confirmed Wednesday morning that the federal government has accepted the invitation.
The decision 'is [in line] with our principled position regarding the peaceful resolution of the conflict and the need to have talks without preconditions,' Redwan said.
Separately, a federal government statement re-affirmed Addis Ababa's preference for talks mediated by the African Union.
The government of Tigray responded Wednesday that it was ready to participate in the talks.
Fighting in Ethiopia's civil war renewed in late August, breaking a fragile truce that had been in place since March and halting much-needed aid deliveries to the Tigray region where more than 5 million people need humanitarian assistance.
According to the letter sent by Faki, mediation efforts by the AU's envoy for the Horn of Africa will be supported by former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and the former deputy president of South Africa, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.
The letter says the talks are 'aimed at laying the foundation for a structured and sustained mediation' between the two sides 'towards a durable resolution of the conflict.'
According to a diplomatic source in Addis Ababa, this AU core mediation team will be supported by 'observers' from the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, or IGAD, an eight-country trade bloc in region.
The talks in South Africa represent the highest-level effort to date to end the nearly two-year war and follow at least three rounds of discussions between senior officials on both warring sides.
Get a daily dose of Sierra Leone Times news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Sierra Leone Times.
More InformationCINCINNATI, Ohio: Facing global economic headwinds and mounting tariff pressures, Procter & Gamble announced plans this week to cut...
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands: Tesla saw a sharp decline in sales across several major European markets in May, marking its fifth consecutive...
BERLIN/FRANKFURT: Some car parts factories in Europe have stopped production, and companies like Mercedes-Benz are making backup plans...
CHICAGO, Illinois: McDonald's is bringing back its much-loved Snack Wrap in the U.S. starting July 10. The wrap, which includes chicken,...
GOODLETTSVILLE, Tennessee: Dollar General reported record sales of US$10.44 billion for the latest quarter and raised its full-year...
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vermont: Beta Technologies has become the first U.S. company to land an all-electric aircraft at an airport in the...
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 9 (ANI): Former Australian batter Matthew Hayden named young South African star Tristan Stubbs as...
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 9 (ANI): The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the revised schedule for the...
London [UK], June 9 (ANI): South Africa's crafty quick Lungi Ngidi hopes to turn his dream into reality by bringing the World Test...
London [UK], June 9 (ANI): Australia's seasoned opener Usman Khawaja addressed his retirement plans and declared that when it's time...
Abu Dhabi [UAE], June 8 (ANI/WAM): UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan held a phone call with Joao Manuel Lourenco, President...
ABU DHABI, 8th June, 2025 (WAM) -- President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan held a phone call with His Excellency...