Ethiopia, Tigray Officials Set to Begin Talks in South Africa to End Civil War

Simon Marks and Fasika Tadesse
·1 min read
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(Bloomberg) -- Officials from Ethiopia’s government and the dissident Tigray region are scheduled to hold talks in South Africa Monday on ending the nation’s almost two-year civil war, amid continuing violence in the Horn of Africa nation.

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A delegation of Ethiopian officials left for South Africa on Monday morning, the Government Communication Service said on Twitter. Senior Tigrayan officials including Getachew Reda, an executive committee of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, are set to meet Ethiopian National Security Adviser Redwan Hussien and others at the talks, a spokesman for the TPLF said by phone.

South African Department of International Relations & Cooperation spokesman Clayson Monyela declined to comment when contacted by phone. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday he had held a “great conversation” with South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor on ensuring the success of the talks.

The talks are aimed at hammering out a cease-fire and finding ways out of the conflict, which has left thousands of people dead and displaced hundreds of thousands of others.

The conflict in Tigray has escalated since the resumption of hostilities in August ended a five-month humanitarian cease-fire. The war has pitted Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s federal forces against rebels loyal to the TPLF. Neighboring Eritrea has backed Abiy since the violence first erupted in November 2020, while the fighting has also spilled over into Sudan, where thousands of refugees have fled the fighting.

Read: Eritrea Goes for Broke in Ethiopian Civil War to Crush Old Foe

--With assistance from Paul Vecchiatto.

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