By Oyintari Ben
An official familiar with the plans for the meetings claims that negotiations between the federal government of Ethiopia and members of the Tigray fighters (TPLF) continued into Monday in South Africa.
The talks overseen by the African Union aim to put an end to hostilities. The mediation team includes former South African vice president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, in addition to former Kenyan president Kenyatta and former Nigerian president Obasanjo, who represents the AU in the Horn of Africa.
On October 25, the talks got under way, and they were supposed to wrap up on Sunday, October 30.
Since the battle began in November 2020, it is the first time the warring parties have spoken in public.
When TPLF soldiers raided an army camp, a conflict between the Tigrayan rebels and the federal army erupted, supported by troops from neighbouring Ethiopian regions and the army of Eritrea, which borders Tigray.
Regarding the discussions that took place inside the Department of International Relations and Cooperation in Pretoria, no information has been made public. It makes it more challenging to evaluate development.
A humanitarian crisis erupted in northern Ethiopia as a result of the bloody fighting. In August, after a five-month ceasefire, hostilities returned.
