Ethiopian Governmental Delegation Heads for Peace Talks With Tigray Rebels - Press Service

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2022) The Ethiopian governmental delegation went to South Africa for talks with representatives of the Tigray rebels, Ethiopian governmental press service said on Monday.

"The Government of Ethiopia views the talks as an opportunity to peacefully resolve the conflict and consolidate the improvement of the situation on the ground brought about through the sacrifices of the ENDF (Ethiopian National Defense Force). The delegation of Ethiopian Government has left for South Africa this morning," the press service said on Twitter.

Ethiopia has been struggling with a violent internal conflict since November 2020, when the central government accused the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) of attacking its military base and launched an anti-terrorist operation in the region.

In June 2021, the rebels of the TPLF seized the city of Mekelle, the administrative regional center, and the government declared an unconditional ceasefire. However, the rebels launched a new offensive soon after and took control of the southern part of Tigray and the neighboring Amhara region. The ongoing conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives, displaced millions of people, and caused a dire humanitarian crisis across the country.

A new truce was reached in March 2022, when the Ethiopian authorities announced the introduction of an indefinite humanitarian truce for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Tigray. In June, Ethiopian Prime Minister announced the creation of a committee for negotiations with the TPLF.