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
The administration was clearly looking for an off-ramp for this campaign against Ansar Allah, NBC News reports, citing US official
Trump's operation against Ansar Allah cost more than $1 billion, NBC News reports, citing US official
White smoke signals new pope elected: AFP
Reuters, citing two informed sources: US no longer demanding Saudi Arabia normalize ties with "Israel" as condition for progress on civil nuclear cooperation talks
Putin: Almost all foreign trade between Russia and China is now conducted in rubles and yuan
Putin: Russia and China are successfully developing cooperation in peaceful nuclear energy
Putin: Russia and China are successfully developing cooperation in peaceful nuclear energy
Russian President Vladimir Putin: Russia and China are to pursue an independent and autonomous foreign policy, and are interested in building a fair multipolar world order
Xi Jinping says he held detailed and fruitful talks with Putin and reached a new series of agreements
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: Israeli drone targets Electricity Company workers with explosive grenade in town of Houla.

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

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

RSF, allies, formalize vision for a parallel government: Report

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

Pro-Palestinian protesters march toward the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Washington (AP)

US House to vote on bill criminalizing boycott of 'Israel'

  • Politics
  • 3 May 2025
Throughout Operation Prosperity Guardian, current and former US military and intelligence officials expressed disquiet at the enormous “cost offset” involved in battling Ansar Allah. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab El-Hajj)

Ansar Allah triumphant: US facing Red Sea defeat again

  • Opinion
  • 3 May 2025
Pakistan downs an Indian jet and hits a military base in Kashmir escalation.

Pakistan downs 3 Indian jets, hits military base in Kashmir escalation

  • Politics
  • 7 May 2025
Yemeni missile hits Ben Gurion Airport as interceptors fail

YAF targeted Ben Gurion with hypersonic ballistic missile: Saree

  • MENA
  • 4 May 2025

Coverage

All
Gaza prevails against genocide

Read Next

All
President Donald Trump speaks before Steve Witkoff is sworn as special envoy during a ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Washington, with a portrait of former President Ronald Reagan in the background. (AP)
Politics

US prioritizes shipping, not 'Israel', in ceasefire deal with Yemen

A History of India-Pakistan conflicts: From partition to 2025
Asia

Timeline of India-Pakistan conflicts: 1947 partition - 2025's Pahalgam

Gaza aid pier: A costly mission with hidden injuries
Politics

Biden-era Gaza aid pier: A costly mission with hidden injuries

Faithful gather in St. Peter's Square as the door of the Sistine Chapel are closed to start the Conclave at the Vatican, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP )
Technology

Who will succeed Pope Francis? AI chatbots weigh in before white smoke

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