Ethiopian Crisis : Africa Union Mediation Begins Tomorrow

After several months of fighting, the two warring factions in the Ethiopian crisis have accepted to sit around the dialogue table. At the invitation of the African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki, both sides have now agreed to attend peace talks this weekend in South Africa. Late on Wednesday, Tigrayan authorities confirmed they would take part in the talks in South Africa. The Tigray rebels have however raised some questions about the invited participants, observers, guarantors and the role of the international community. “Considering we were not consulted prior to the issuance of this invitation, we need clarification to some of the following issues to establish an auspicious start for the peace talks,” said a statement signed by Tigrayan leader Debretsion Gebremichael.
The Tigrayan confirmation came on the heels of Addis Ababa’s government acceptance to participate in the talks without any pre-condition. “The African Union has sent an invitation for peace talks. The government of Ethiopia has accepted this invitation, in line with our principled position regarding the peaceful resolution of the conflict and the need for talks without preconditions,” Redwan Hussein, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's National Security Advisor, said in a tweet. In a statement, the Ethiopian Government Communication Service (GCS) said the AU had communicated in its invitation the date and venue of the talks but gave no details.
No details of the participants have been released yet, including whether neighboring Eritrea has been invited. The tiger rebels have always said they would refuse to allow Asmara to attend any talks. A diplomatic source told AFP that the A...