Cape town - The first formal peace talks aimed at ending the two-year Ethiopian war between the Ethiopian army and forces from the country’s northern region of Tigray started in South Africa on October 25.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said last week that he is honoured that South Africa has been requested to host the AU-led peace talks between the Ethiopian government and Tigray forces.
The AU mediation team is led by former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo, supported by former Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta and former deputy president of South Africa, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.
The conflict, which is now in its second year, stems from grievances dating back to a period during which the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), a rebel movement-turned-political party, dominated Ethiopia’s ruling coalition.
In an interview with Chinese English-language state broadcaster China Global Television Network, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that his government is working towards peace.
"Ethiopians should understand, we can solve our own issue by ourselves. And instead of listening from afar, better to respect our own law, better to respect our own culture, better to respect our own (customs)," he said in the undated interview posted on social media.
“Of course, if there are lots of interventions from left and right, it’s very difficult,” he added.