Ethiopia and the conflict in Tigray province are still on the agenda of several international organizations, but so far it has not had much effect. And the federal authorities do not intend to compromise.
On the ground, despite Addis Ababa’s promises, humanitarian aid has still not arrived in Tigray and telecommunications are still declining, while widespread fighting is still going on. against the TPLF, the dissident party that ruled the province. So in the face of blockages and uncertainty, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrel, raised the tone at the end of the European Council on Monday night.
“Our message is very clear,” he said. Ethnic hostilities and violence must end. Civilians and refugees must be protected. International law must be respected. We strongly urge the Ethiopian government to have full access to the Tigray region for all humanitarian actors. This access must be guaranteed for all institutions, the UN, non-governmental organizations … We express our great concern at the atrocities that would be committed and which must be the subject of serious investigations. Those responsible must be assessed. There are cross fees. The blackouting of what is happening in Ethiopia is still in effect. There are 40,000 refugees gathering in Sudan. The only way to restore a strong and lasting peace is to support African Union initiatives. ”
But this initiative has stopped for ten days. The three special envoys from the AU had met with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed the day before the announcement of the capture of the regional capital of Mekele. They had not received concessions from the latter about a possible mediation with the TPLF dissidents who had gone to the bush.
And during the African Union’s extraordinary summit dedicated to the slogan “silent weapons” on Sunday, the current president of the AU, South African Cyril Ramaphosa, did not mention Tigray in his speech. , which surprised many observers.
But this is not the case with Liesl Louw-Vaudran, a researcher at the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria. “It is a bit normal, in the African Union, for heads of state not to mention a specific crisis,” she said. He spoke of terrorism in the Sahel, in Western Sahara which is an important subject for South Africa, but it is true that many still noticed the absence of reference to Ethiopia. Precisely because Ramaphosa intervened, he appointed three special envoys. So I think the attempt to mediate at the moment is not bearing fruit. “
According to the researcher, the moment is sensitive: “We know very well that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is trying to convince everyone that this is an internal matter. It must be said that Ethiopia has always been complicated, precisely because it is the seat of the African Union. This created some concern or difficulty for the other Heads of State in the context of a meeting of the African Union. “
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