Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Lebanese Army is continuing its investigations and will later announce any information that does not affect the confidentiality of the investigation
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: It has not yet been determined whether the detainees belong to ISIS or another organization
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Around 10 people of different nationalities, including Lebanese nationals, were detained
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Lebanese army arrested a number of people in the Matn area of Mount Lebanon with possession it has not disclosed
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: We have strong indications that there are martyrs, injuries, and trapped people in the Salah al-Din area
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: Citizens should avoid Salah al-Din Street because anyone who approaches it is at risk of being directly targeted
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: Reality is that there is a very limited retreat of the vehicles, with the occupation forces providing cover undeer fire up to Salah al-Din Street
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: Claims that the Israeli occupation has withdrawn from areas in the neighborhoods of al-Zaytoun, al-Tuffah, and al-Shujaiya are false
Hamas: The two delegations stressed that any negotiations must lead to the achievement of our people's goals and aspirations, foremost among which is ending the war and the complete withdrawal of enemy forces
Hamas: A delegation from the Hamas leadership, led by the head of the leadership council, Mohammad Darwish, met with an Islamic Jihad delegation, headed by its Secretary-General, Ziyad al-Nakhalah

Tigray rebels accused by Ethiopia of refusing to engage in peace talks

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 18 Aug 2022 23:12
4 Min Read

The Ethiopian government accused Tigrayan rebels of being uninterested in pursuing peace talks to try to end the region's catastrophic 21-month battle.

  • x
  • Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed addresses lawmakers at the parliament in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Thursday, July 7, 2022 (AP Photo)
    Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed addresses lawmakers at the parliament in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Thursday, July 7, 2022 (AP Photo)

The Ethiopian government accused Tigrayan rebels on Thursday of showing no interest in holding peace negotiations to attempt to put an end to the devastating 21-month conflict in the region.

The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the administration of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed have both recently raised the possibility of discussions, but significant obstacles still stand in the way, and both parties continue to place blame on the other for the deadlock.

The PM's spokesperson Billene Seyoum told reporters that the government continued to call for a peaceful resolution for the conflict "despite there being not a shred of interest for peace by TPLF" adding that "If TPLF genuinely care for the wellbeing of Ethiopians in the Tigray region they should... sit for talks instead of looking for excuses to avoid peace."
 
The two factions are at odds about who should lead of any negotiations, and the TPLF believes that before talks can start, the region's six million residents must have access to basic amenities.
 
Seyoum argued that "The issue of restoration of services comes up again and again as if there is an on and off switch." 
 
Due to the violence that broke out in November 2020, Tigray is now experiencing severe food shortages and lacks access to essential services including banking, power, and communications.

In Tigray and the nearby provinces of Afar and Amhara, untold numbers of people have been slain and millions require humanitarian aid.

A government committee had called for an official armistice on Wednesday in order to allow the restoration of services as part of a peace plan it intended to present to the African Union (AU).

Related News

16 dead, 400 wounded in Kenya violent protests

500 Turkish ground forces arrive in Somalia amid al-Shabab attacks

Seyoum added that there needed to be a "secure environment" for federal service providers to operate inside Tigray, but that the ceasefire and the problem of essential services were "two separate items."
 
Furthermore, Billene said that "At the moment with a vocally belligerent and illegally armed group operating at its own whim and refusing to accept peace talks, the required enabling and secure environment is lacking."
 
The Ethiopian government also criticized the World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus following comments, on Wednesday, calling the Tigray situation the "worst disaster on Earth," and cited racism as a cause to why the situation ranked behind Ukraine in terms of international attention. 

Tedros has been accused, by the Ethiopian government of endorsing the TPLF and Seyoum added that Tedros was "using the race card and (his) multilateral position to garner the sympathy of the global North for... personal partisan politics", and called his conduct "unbecoming for a such high-profile position". 

Getachew Reda, a spokesperson for the TPLF, responded to the demand for a truce by accusing the government of "obfuscation" and said that its soldiers were "actively provoking our forces on various fronts."

Since a ceasefire was announced in northern Ethiopia at the end of March, fighting has subsided, allowing convoys of badly needed foreign relief to Tigray to resume after a three-month hiatus.

Ahmed said that Olusegun Obasanjo, the African Union's representative to the Horn of Africa, must be led the international effort to bring about peace, while the rebels want departing Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta to act as a mediator.

Read more: Ethiopia calls for formal ceasefire with Tigray rebels
 

  • Kenya
  • Ethiopia
  • African Union
  • Tigray
  • Abiy Ahmed

Most Read

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Major ambush in Gaza kills 6 Israeli troops, injures dozens

Major ambush in Gaza kills 5 Israeli troops, injures 14

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Israeli soldiers are seen in Beit Hanoun ahead of an operation by the al-Qassam Brigades, undated (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)

'Israel' on blast as media exposes report discrepancies in Gaza ambush

  • Palestine
  • 8 Jul 2025
Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

  • Politics
  • 9 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
The Freedom Flotilla ship Handala as it departs for Gaza, where it aims to break the maritime blockade at a port in Syracuse, Sicily in southern Italy on July 13, 2025. (AFP)
Palestine

Freedom Flotilla's Handala departs Sicily in bid to break Gaza siege

The container ship CMA CGM Laperouse, left, docks at the Georgia Ports Authority's Port of Savannah, Sept. 29, 2021, in Savannah, Ga (AP)
Politics

US shipbuilding woes deepen as tariffs, outdated policies backfire

Gaza war raises ethical questions for ex-Obama, Biden officials
Politics

Mercenary firm tied to Gaza war crimes hires Obama-Biden PR operatives

'Israel' targets children in Gaza collecting water
Palestine

'Israel' strikes Gaza kids fetching water, blames it on 'malfunction'

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS