ETHIOPIA – (WARSOOR) – The African Union envoy for the Horn of Africa warned Monday that the window of opportunity is closing for a political resolution of the crisis in northern Ethiopia, as the country tips further toward all-out conflict.
“The time is now for collective actions in finding lasting solution to avoid further escalation of the situation, which may have direct effect on the strategic Horn of Africa region as a whole,” said former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is the AU’s special representative for the Horn of Africa.
Briefing the U.N. Security Council from Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, where he arrived Thursday, Obasanjo said he has met separately with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and leaders of the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), as well as some allied groups, in order to de-escalate tensions and seek the start of talks.
“All the leaders here in Addis Ababa and in the north agree individually that the differences between them are political and require political solutions through dialogue,” he said. “This, therefore, constitutes a window of opportunity that we can collectively tap into to assist the people of Ethiopia to find a lasting solution to the ongoing crisis.”