African Union chair calls for unconditional ceasefire, peace talks in Ethiopia

NAIROBI: The chair of the African Union on Sunday called on those involved in the two-year-old conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region to implement an immediate, unconditional ceasefire and agree to direct peace talks.AU chair Moussa Faki said he was following reports of escalating violence in Tigray with grave concern.”The chairperson strongly calls for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire and the resumption of humanitarian services,” the AU said in a statement.Ethiopian government spokesperson Legesse Tulu, military spokesperson Colonel Getnet Adane, Redwan Hussein, national security advisor to the prime minister Abiy Ahmed and Abiy’s spokesperson Billene Seyoum did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Getachew Reda, a spokesperson for the Tigray forces, did not respond to requests for comment.The Ethiopian government and its allies have been battling Tigray forces on and off since late 2020. The violence has killed thousands of civilians and uprooted millions.African Union-led peace talks proposed for earlier this month were delayed for logistical reasons.Both sides have blamed each other for starting the conflict.