Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has defended Tuesday that peace talks with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) «are beneficial» and called for «working hard to avoid problems during the process.»
«In the name of our peace and prosperity, we adopt the decision to end the war. There is no good war and bad peace. War is bad, regardless of who wins,» Abiy has pointed out in an appearance before the Parliament, as reported by his office on his account on the social network Twitter.
Thus, he stressed that in war «people are killed and funds are wasted», so he argued that «peace is always desirable». «Any conversation or peace negotiation that guarantees law and order is beneficial,» he said.
«We have discussed, agreed and signed. Now we must keep our word by making promises come true,» said Abiy, who warned that «if anything happens that threatens Ethiopia’s existence, sovereignty, unity and national interests, it will be fought against.»
«Negotiations are beneficial if these components are protected. Peace is not only the absence of war, but the supremacy of the rule of law», explained the Prime Minister, who stressed that the cessation of hostilities agreement with the TPLF «seeks to achieve peace, not to solve an internal border dispute».
On the other hand, he pointed out that the authorities are delivering humanitarian aid, «quickly» rebuilding infrastructure and working for «the return of displaced people to their homes», after nearly two years of conflict that have had their epicenter in the region of Tigray (north).
Abiy has further stated that the law passed to designate the TPLF as a terrorist group does not prevent negotiations with the organization, as reported by the Ethiopian daily ‘Addis Standard’. «The approved bill does not say ‘do not negotiate with terrorists’,» he said.
The words of the Ethiopian prime minister have come a week after the start of contacts in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, between senior military officials of the army and the TPLF to discuss the cessation of hostilities, as confirmed by the African Union (AU), which is carrying out mediation work.
The conflict in Tigray erupted in November 2020 following a TPLF attack on the army’s main base in Mekelle, after which the Abiy government ordered an offensive against the group following months of political and administrative tensions, including the TPLF’s refusal to recognize an election postponement and its decision to hold regional elections outside Addis Ababa.
The TPLF accuses Abiy of whipping up tensions since coming to power in April 2018, when he became the first Oromo to accede to office. Until then, the TPLF had been the dominant force within Ethiopia’s ruling coalition since 1991, the ethnically-supported Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). The group opposed Abiy’s reforms, which it saw as an attempt to undermine its influence.
