Special Envoys Urge Talks to Settle Ethiopia's Tigray Conflict

United States and European Union special envoys for the Horn of Africa have called on Ethiopian authorities to restore basic services to the Tigray region in order to encourage peace talks with rebels. The envoys have just completed their first trip to the region, Voice of America reports.

The officials expressed support for attempts by the African Union to broker peace talks between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the federal government, after nearly two years of conflict.

In a joint statement issued after returning from Tigray's regional capital, Mekelle, on Tuesday August 2, 2022, Mike Hammer, the U.S. special envoy for the Horn of Africa and his European counterpart, Annette Weber, said they had been handed a letter from TPLF leader Debretsion Gebremichael, containing "security guarantees" for workers needed to restore services.

Last week, the Ethiopian prime minister's national security adviser, Redwan Hussein, said the government was ready for talks "without preconditions," but the TPLF's Debretsion has said phone and banking services should be restored before negotiations can begin.

At the same time as the envoys' visit, three UN-appointed independent human rights experts were also in Ethiopia, working to negotiate access to areas important for investigations. The UN International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia is mandated to conduct a thorough and impartial probe into allegations of violations and abuses of international human rights law.

 The three-member Commission - comprised of Kaari Betty Murungi, Steven Ratner and Radhika Coomaraswamy - concluded a five-day visit to the country.