AU envoy mediates amid escalating tension between Ethiopian government and Tigré leaders

Olusegun Obasanjo, the African Union's special envoy for the Horn of Africa, met with Debretsion Gebremichael, leader of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), in an effort to ease rising tensions between Ethiopia's federal government and the northern region's authorities. Obasanjo, a former Nigerian president and key mediator in ending the two-year war in Ethiopia, aims to prevent the situation from worsening.

The meeting occurred after the TPLF reinstated its pre-war regional council in April, a move the Ethiopian government deemed "illegal." This action led to the dismissal of the interim administration's president and the election of Debretsion, raising international alarms about the potential for renewed conflict. Obasanjo described himself as "satisfied" with the talks but offered no specific details.

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The goal is to prevent the situation from worsening and to initiate a de-escalation process.

Addisalem Balema, a senior TPLF official who attended the meeting, reiterated Tigray's commitment to peace and dialogue. "Our door is open, and we are always ready for political dialogue," Balema stated, adding, "we will see what happens next."

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We told them that our door is open, and we are always ready for political dialogue, so we will see what happens next.

However, a senior Ethiopian security official, speaking anonymously, expressed a more rigid stance. The official asserted that peace would be "impossible" unless the TPLF returns power to the interim administration established by the Pretoria Agreement, which ended the Tigray war. The official speculated that Obasanjo conveyed the federal government's willingness to engage in dialogue if power is handed over, but could not confirm the TPLF's readiness to comply.

Friction between Addis Ababa and the TPLF has intensified more than three years after the November 2022 cessation of hostilities agreement. Tigrayan authorities accuse Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of violating the accord through drone attacks on their forces, with the latest occurring near Sheraro on June 6. The federal government, in turn, accuses the TPLF of forming a military alliance with neighboring Eritrea to overthrow the central government.

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Peace will be impossible if the TPLF does not return power to the interim administration established by the Pretoria Agreement.