The Ethiopian Parliament on Wednesday voted for the establishment of a National Dialogue Commission but officials said talks would exclude Tigray’s renegade leaders.
There has been confusion among Ethiopians as many of them presumed it to be a possible preparation for negotiation with entities like the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) which the parliament designated as a terrorist organisation.
The house made it clear on Wednesday that there will be no negotiation with designated terrorist groups including the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF).
Ethiopian federal forces have managed to clear the TPLF fighters from most of the areas that the latter controlled for several months in the Afar and Amhara regions.
However, the government ordered that the march on Tigray region be halted – a development that triggered a debate, and skepticism in some cases over why the rebels were not being pursued after allegedly unleashing unprecedented massacres of innocent civilians in the regions.
That was one of the factors that fueled skepticism that the government is into negotiation with the TPLF forces.
MG/as/APA