Salva Kiir Backs AU’s Call for Mediation Over Ethiopia-TPLF Conflict
President Salva Kiir of South Sudan has backed AU’s call for mediation over Ethiopia- TPLF conflict
President Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan has renewed the African Union’s (AU) demand for the warring parties to participate in peace talks to address their political disagreements.
Kiir expressed his alarm at the end of the Fifth Governors Forum in Juba on Monday, saying that the continuous conflict between Ethiopian government troops and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) could pose a security danger to the entire Horn of Africa region.
President Kiir stated that he has been in contact with both sides to try to resolve their disputes amicably before the situation worsens.
The current escalation of military confrontation between Sudanese Armed Forces and Ethiopian troops and their affiliated militias, according to President Kiir, is especially concerning since it poses a security threat to the region.
Sudanese authorities stated on Saturday that Ethiopian government forces and their affiliated militia murdered several of their personnel in the Al Fashaga area.
The Ethiopian government refuted the accusation, blaming the attack on Sudanese forces on the TPLF.
After the TPLF took possession of Shewa Robit, a town roughly 220 kilometers (135 miles) northeast of Addis Ababa by road, Prime Minister Abiy, a former military lieutenant colonel, said that he would head to the battlefield.
Fears of a rebel march on the Addis Ababa capital have spurred the US, France, the UK, and other countries to warn their citizens to leave Ethiopia, despite Abiy’s government’s claims that the TPLF’s successes are exaggerated and the city is secure.
In November 2020, Abiy sent troops into the northernmost Tigray region in an attempt to destabilize the TPLF, which he said was in response to TPLF attacks on army camps.
According to UN estimates, thousands have died, more than two million have been displaced, and hundreds of thousands have been forced into famine-like conditions.
Olusegun Obasanjo, the African Union’s special envoy for the Horn of Africa, and other officials are attempting to broker a ceasefire, however little progress has been made thus far.
