Uganda mediates between the Ethiopian government and the Tigrayan rebels

Ethiopian government officials reported that there was a Ugandan movement to mediate between the government and the Tigray rebels.

On Monday, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni initiated mediation in his country between the Ethiopian government and the rebel authorities of Tigray who are fighting militarily in the northern region of Ethiopia.

One of the officials, who asked not to be identified, said Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister Demiki Mekonnen Hassan, who also holds the Foreign Ministry, and representatives of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front that governs the region are expected to arrive in Uganda on Monday, provided they meet with the president. Museveni.

Another official confirmed to France Press that “Ethiopia’s deputy prime minister will arrive in Uganda and meet with President Museveni in Gulu on Monday,” and indicated that representatives of the Front will attend.

Neither official revealed the identity of the participants in the TPLF delegation and whether the two delegations would meet directly.

Yoweri Museveni maintains good relations with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, who on 4 November launched a military operation in Tigray after months of intense tension with his authorities.

The President of Uganda, who has held office since 1986, also has relations with officials of the “Tigray People’s Liberation Front”, which represents the minority of Tigray (6% of the Ethiopian people) and for almost three decades dominated the levers of political power and security in Ethiopia.

Since taking office in 2018, Abiy Ahmed, who belongs to the largest Oromo ethnic group in the country, has gradually marginalized the front lines, moving him into the ranks of the opposition.

American conviction

US Under Secretary of State for African Affairs Tibor Nagy condemned the attacks launched by Ethiopia’s Tigrayan rebels in neighboring Eritrea.

“The United States strongly condemns the unwarranted attacks launched by the TPLF against Eritrea on November 14 and its attempts to internationalize the conflict in Tigray,” Nagy said on Twitter.

“We continue to call for immediate measures to protect civilians, reduce tension and restore peace,” he added.

And on Sunday, the leader of the Tigray region confirmed that his forces fired missiles at the airport in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, in a major escalation in the conflict between Tigray forces and Ethiopian government forces, raising fears. of a broader war in the Horn of Africa.