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South Africa, Niger, Tunisia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines withdrew their request for the closed-door discussion because the envoys have not yet traveled to Ethiopia, an African diplomat said.
“It is necessary to give more time to the regional efforts that are being made in this regard,” he told AFP.
The African Union announced on Friday that three former presidents had been appointed as special envoys to Ethiopia to assist in mediation efforts between the warring parties.
Forces loyal to the ruling Tigray party have been fighting Ethiopian soldiers for nearly three weeks, prompting an exodus of refugees, civilian deaths and fears of further instability in the Horn of Africa.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered the leaders of the northern Tigray region to surrender ahead of a threat of all-out assault on their capital, Mekele.
Abiy launched the military campaign against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) on November 4, accusing it of attacking two federal military camps in the region and seeking to destabilize his government.
Hundreds of people were reported to have died, but a communications blackout has made claims on both sides difficult to verify.
UN chief Antonio Guterres last week called for the opening of humanitarian corridors to help civilians caught in the fighting, noting that authorities had so far rejected mediation attempts.
“We are very concerned about the situation in Ethiopia,” the secretary-general told reporters in New York, warning of a “dramatic humanitarian impact,” including in neighboring Sudan.
“We have been calling for full respect for international humanitarian law and also for the opening of humanitarian corridors and the truces that might be necessary for the delivery of humanitarian aid,” he said.
More than 40,000 Ethiopians have fled to neighboring Sudan, the UN refugee agency said on Monday.
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