The African Union (AU) has facilitated the direct peace talks between the Ethiopian federal government and the rebel Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which are to be in South Africa.
The move is part of the ongoing AU-led process to support the parties to the conflict in northern Ethiopia to find a political solution to the conflict in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, the AU said in a statement Tuesday.
The direct talks are facilitated by Olusegun Obasanjo, the AU high representative for the Horn of Africa and former president of Nigeria, along with the former president of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, and former deputy president of South Africa, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.
Chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, is encouraged by the early demonstration of commitment to peace by the parties and to seek a lasting political solution to the conflict in the supreme interest of Ethiopia, the statement read.
Faki expressed his profound appreciation to President Cyril Ramaphosa and the government of South Africa for graciously accepting to host the talks in the spirit of pan-African solidarity to find African solutions to African problems.
He further reiterated the AU's continued commitment to support the parties in an Ethiopian-owned and AU-led process to silence the guns toward a united, stable, peaceful, and resilient Ethiopia.
Conflict resumed in August as the Ethiopian government accused the TPLF of resuming fighting. The situation eventually halted humanitarian aid flow in parts of Northern Ethiopia.
Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation, has seen a devastating conflict between government-allied troops and forces loyal to the TPLF since November 2020, which has left millions in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.