Protagonists to the 14-month conflict in Ethiopia are gradually abandoning their belligerence for a more pragmatic approach to ending hostilities, according to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
“I am delighted that after over a year of armed conflict which has affected millions of people across Ethiopia and the rest of the region, there is now a demonstrable effort to make peace” said the UN scribe in a statement seen by APA on Thursday.
Guterres’s statement followed his telephone conversation with the African Union High Representative for the Horn of Africa, Mr. Olusegun Obasanjo.
The two had exchanged on the conflict in Ethiopia following Obasanjo’s latest visit to Addis Ababa and Mekelle, the capital of the regional state of Tigray.
He quoted Obasanjo as saying that tangible efforts were being made by the Ethiopian federal government and the rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) to move towards a resolution of the conflict.
He said thanks to this the UN can be optimistic that there is a real opportunity for political and diplomatic resolution of the conflict which has been raging since November 2020.
However the UN supremo said ongoing military activities in some parts of Ethiopia pose a challenge to the peace process “and sour the confidence building measures that we hope are being taken by all parties in the conflict”.
He reiterated his call on all parties to the conflict to move towards the cessation of all hostilities as a critical step in the right direction for peace-making.
“While we observe the AU-led peace process with great hope, we remain concerned about the humanitarian situation in various parts of Ethiopia affected by the war. I again call on all actors in the conflict to support and facilitate local and international efforts to provide humanitarian aid to those in need” Guterres said.
WN/as/APA