Washington (agencies)
Yesterday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken warned of an “internal explosion” in Ethiopia that could lead to unrest with a devastating impact on the region, if the government and the rebels do not initiate negotiations.
Blinken considered, in front of journalists, that the failure to reach an agreement between the two parties “will lead to the explosion of Ethiopia from within, and this will have repercussions on other countries in the region, which is a catastrophic matter for the Ethiopian people and the countries of the region.”
He stated that “the other path is to stop all ongoing military actions, and negotiate a real ceasefire, to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches all areas, where the population needs it.”
He continued, “I believe that this is not only possible, but necessary, and I can tell you that the United States is working hard to support all efforts seeking to push Ethiopia in this direction.”
Meanwhile, the Tigrayan rebel forces fighting the Ethiopian government said yesterday that they would “hunt” foreign nationals, whom they accused of serving as mercenaries for the government on the battlefields.
This came in statements made by the spokesperson of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, Getachew Reda.
Yesterday, the Ethiopian government announced its conditions for possible talks with the rebels, after days of intense diplomatic efforts by international envoys to avoid a new escalation in the conflict.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government has been at war for a year with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, which has expanded south in recent months, and has not ruled out a march on the capital, Addis Ababa.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Dina Mufti said that the conditions for possible talks, which he stressed were not agreed upon, would be the rebels’ withdrawal from the Afar and Amhara regions bordering Tigray.
He added: «In order for there to be a peaceful solution, there are conditions: the first is to stop your attacks. Second, leave the areas you entered, which include Amhara and Afar. Third: Recognize the legitimacy of this government.
But he stressed, “By the way, do not misunderstand, this does not mean that a decision has been taken to engage in negotiations.”
Yesterday, the United Nations said in a weekly report on the humanitarian situation that aid had not reached Tigray by land since October 18, and that 364 trucks were stuck in the Afar capital, “waiting for permission from the authorities to move forward.” In recent days, diplomatic envoys have intensified their efforts to stem the escalation of violence.
And the US special envoy for the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman, left Ethiopia last Wednesday, after several days of meetings that were also held in neighboring Kenya, according to officials familiar with his movements.
Officials said that former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, the African Union’s special envoy to the region, left yesterday, after a recent meeting with Abiy Ahmed.
Obasanjo recently moved to Mekele, the capital of Tigray, to meet the leaders of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.
The State Department said Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke with Obasanjo and declared “strong support” for his mediation efforts. He also expressed the hope that there is a “possibility” for progress.
But it is not at all clear that the wide gap between the two sides can be bridged.
US sanctions against the Eritrean army
Yesterday, the United States imposed sanctions on the Eritrean army and other individuals and entities, as part of the escalation of American pressure on the parties to the conflict to end the fighting in northern Ethiopia.
The US Treasury said in a statement that it had blacklisted the People’s Front for Democracy and Justice, the ruling political party in Eritrea, its economic advisor and head of the Eritrean National Security Office, accusing everyone of contributing to the conflict in neighboring Ethiopia. Neither Eritrea’s information minister nor Ethiopian government spokesman Legisi Tolu or Beilin Seyoum, a spokesman for Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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