Ethiopia’s peace talks may be overtaken by battlefield advances
Government forces on closing on Mekelle, Tigray’s capital
It was an inauspicious start to ending a catastrophic war. The first official direct peace talks between the Ethiopian government and the leaders of Tigray, its rebellious northern region, were meant to have begun in early October in South Africa. When they at last opened on October 24th, the delegation sent from Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, had still not arrived. Its chief negotiator, Ethiopia’s deputy prime minister, Demeke Mekonnen, failed to show up at all. Thus the first scheduled day of talks slipped by without progress.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Slow-talking”
From the October 29th 2022 edition
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