Ethiopia blocks UN officials trying to facilitate peace: Tigray official
By Tesfa-Alem Tekle
July 26, 2022 (NAIROBI) – Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) officials on Tuesday accused the Ethiopian government of deliberately obstructing regional and international efforts to end the 18-month bloody conflict in the northern part of the country.
In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune, Getachew Reda, advisor to the President of Tigray Region and TPLF Spokesman said that the Abiy government is blocking the travel of international diplomats trying to facilitate peace.
“The Authorities in Addis have over the last couple weeks prevented planned visits to Tigray by UN officials, Special Representatives of powerful countries and Ambassadors including the Charge d’Affaires of the U.S. Government,” Reda said.
U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Mike Hammer, is expected to arrive in Ethiopia in the coming days as he has started a regional tour as part of Washington’s efforts to bring the two warring Ethiopian parties to the negotiating table in a bid to end one of Africa’s recent bloody conflict.
Hammer will also have an opportunity to review progress on the delivery of humanitarian assistance and accountability for human rights violations and abuses committed in the Tigray war.
The Tigrayan official further accused Addis Ababa of showing little interest in peace and dragging the process from happening.
He said that the central government has failed to allow unrestricted humanitarian access to Tigray as a goodwill gesture to gear up the peace process.
“The Addis regime is standing in the way of unfettered humanitarian access by blocking fuel from entering Tigray and reneging on its promise to its partners that it works towards restoring basic services,” said Reda.
He added that this obstruction of humanitarian access shows that “the regime has little appetite” for peace and that all these statements about peace are part of a Public Relations campaign aimed at confusing the international community and bringing it to reduce pressure
“It’s rather strange that no one has called out the regime on this,” he added.
Since the conflict erupted in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region in November 2020, the Tigray region remains under what the UN calls a “de facto blockade”.
This government-imposed blockade has prevented life-saving medicine and emergency humanitarian assistance from reaching millions.
The civil war has claimed the lives of thousands of people and forced millions to displace.
The war has also resulted in a severe humanitarian crisis subjecting 90% of people in Tigray to famine-like conditions.
International aid groups have repeatedly been warning of a catastrophe since food aid to Tigray was halted in mid-December.
The government of Tigray and the Ethiopian government have several times expressed readiness to engage in a peaceful political resolution to the Tigray conflict.
The planned direct talks are hoped to open a route to end the 18-month-long bloody conflict.
However, differences on who leads the mediation, areas of talks and venue for talks are delaying the long-awaited peace talks from taking place.
According to sources, the resumption of public services such as electricity, banking, telephone, air and land transport to Tigray will be top among agendas for planned negotiations.
Lifting all imposed blockades on the Tigray region, allowing unfettered delivery of humanitarian assistance, and whether Tigray forces remain armed will be top agendas on the table for negotiations a Tigray government source told the Sudan Tribune.
(ST)