The Ethiopian government has put in place mechanisms to negotiate with the leaders of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) following a series of international efforts to resolve the growing conflict.
The government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has cried side effects in a year-long war with northern Tigray fighters who had pushed south in recent months and did not prevent a possible march in the capital, Addis Ababa.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Dina Mufti told reporters on Thursday that one of the issues they could discuss – which he confirmed was not approved – was for TPLF to leave the Amhara and Afar provinces bordering Tigray.
“For a peaceful solution, they say two people are needed,” Dina said.
“There are conditions: First, stop your attack. Second, leave the areas you have entered [Amhara and Afar]. Thirdly, note the legitimacy of this government, ”he said.
“By the way, do not misunderstand, it is not said that a decision has been made to enter into negotiations,” he added.
TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda had previously said that leaving Amhara and Afar before the talks began “is baseless”. Tigrayan troops say last week they captured Kemise, 325km (200 kilometers) from Addis Ababa, but the government has accused its enemies of exaggerating their profits and insisting the conflict “does not come to the capital”.
The TPLF wants an end to what the United Nations calls a “blockade” in Tigray, where thousands of people believe they are living in starvation.
No assistance has been provided to Tigray on the road since October 18, and 364 vehicles have been detained at the Afar headquarters “awaiting permission from the authorities to continue,” the UN said Thursday in a weekly humanitarian report.
“It is estimated that 80 percent of essential medicines are no longer available in Tigray while many hospitals do not function due to damage and lack of resources,” it said.
Tigray’s largest hospital, Ayder Referral Hospital in the capital, Mekelle, has been forced to shut down its cancer treatment program, “leaving 500 patients without treatment”, it said.
‘They live in Ethiopia, not in the air’
Last week, the government launched a nationwide emergency response to a series of arrests that left people unable to respond to aid.
At least 22 UN staff members have been arrested in connection with the Tigrayan insurgency, and nine have been detained since Wednesday.
The UN has also announced the arrest of 72 drivers arrested by the World Food Program in Afar.
The government says such arrests are one way to try to end TPLF.
When asked about the arrests, Dina said UN staff “living in Ethiopia should respect the country’s laws”. “She lives in Ethiopia, not in the air. Whether she is a member of the UN or the AU, she will be held accountable,” added Dina, although she acknowledged that “mistakes can be made” and will be investigated.
Separately, a government report states that all homeowners have a week to report to their police “to assist security forces in trying to clean up those who threaten public safety”.
Speaking to Al Jazeera on Wednesday, the head of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission said he was concerned about the arrest of Tigrayans.
“There seems to be some form of arrests, which worries us, because many Tigrayans have been searching for houses and building,” said Daniel Bekele, adding that a government-appointed body oversees the arrests. “Hundreds” of people.
“I understand that the emergency government empowers the police to arrest people on suspicious grounds but we are concerned about the emergency and its instructions are being misused,” he said.
The government says the arrests are not ethnic.
“There is no systematic arrest … because of your reputation,” Redwan Hussein, the foreign minister, told Al Jazeera. “People are so vigilant that citizens are watching each other in their neighborhoods and destroying each other. Then people can inform the police if they see anything unusual,” he said.
Meanwhile, more than 27,500 young people have been recruited to help with security operations in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian Press Agency (EPA) said in a statement.
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Jeffrey Feltman, the US special envoy to the Horn of Africa, left Ethiopia on Wednesday after a series of talks there with neighboring Kenya, according to officials who briefed him on his travels.
Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, the AU’s special envoy for the region, is due to leave on Thursday after a final meeting with Abiy, officials said. He recently traveled to Mekelle to meet with TPLF leaders.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Obasanjo on Wednesday and offered “strong support” for his role as mediator, indicating he hoped there was a “window” to move forward, the State Department said.
The ongoing war has killed thousands of civilians and forced more than 2 million people to flee their homes.
