Ethiopia draws up Peace Proposal with Tigray rebels

The Ethiopian government has come up with a “peace proposal” to the war with Tigray rebels and called for a formal ceasefire.

It was gathered that this is to enable the resumption of basic services to the war-stricken northern region.

A committee established in June to explore the possibility of talks with Tigrayan rebels revealed that it had drawn up a “peace proposal” to try to end the war, which erupted in November 2020.

A statement by the committee read:

“In order to ensure a sustained provision of humanitarian aid as well as to facilitate the resumption of basic services and also to resolve the conflict peacefully; the committee has underscored that there is a need to conclude a ceasefire agreement as soon as possible.

“To expedite this process, the committee has deliberated upon and adopted a peace proposal that would lead to the conclusion of a ceasefire and lay the foundation for future political dialogue.

“All effort is being exerted in collaboration with the African Union (AU) so that it would be possible to determine the venue and time for talks and to begin peace talks quickly and to conclude a ceasefire agreement shortly.”

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed said any negotiations must be led by the AU, but the rebels want Kenya to mediate.

The Tigray People’s Liberation Front has insisted that basic services would have to be restored to the region of six million people before dialogue could begin.