AU chief conciliator Olusegun Obasanjo revealed when both sides met in Kenya to discuss the implementation of the truce.
The Ethiopian government and Tigrayan forces have set up a phone hotline after the truce struck last week, the African Union’s chief mediator Olusegun Obasanjo said on Monday when both sides met. in Kenya to negotiate the implementation of a ceasefire.
On November 2, the federal government and regional forces from Tigray agreed to end hostilities, a two-year diplomatic breakthrough into a war that left thousands dead and Millions of people had to be displaced.
The truce has raised hopes that humanitarian aid could begin to return to an area where hundreds of thousands of people face starvation.
Representatives from the Ethiopian government and forces from Tigray are in the Kenyan capital Nairobi to discuss how to begin implementing the ceasefire, with talks expected to last three or four days.
“The first sign for me of progress after signing the agreement was the fact that they exchanged a hotline between them,” Obasanjo said at a press conference in Nairobi.
According to an official familiar with the negotiations, the hotline will address any flare-ups in the fighting and coordinate relief efforts, with both sides recognizing the “challenge of fully communicating with all their units to cease fighting”.
In a press release, the AU said the expected outcome of the meeting “includes approaches to reducing gun sound, humanitarian access and restoring services in the Tigray area”.
Implementing a ceasefire will be very difficult due to concerns about ongoing ground fighting, unresolved political and territorial disputes, and an ambitious disarmament process.
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the region’s dominant party, pledge to disarm their fighters fully within 30 days as agreed.
Officials also want to agree to be part of an expert group led by the African Union to monitor, verify and comply with this week’s ceasefire, the source familiar with the negotiations told Reuters.
Former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, a co-mediator at the talks, said he hoped the parties would be able to work together to create a lasting solution to the issue.
“We started in Pretoria, we are getting closer. We are currently in Nairobi, we very much hope next time we will be in Mekelle for [next] meet and finally celebrate together in Addis Ababa,” said Kenyatta, referring to the capitals of South Africa, the Tigray region and Ethiopia.
