The African Union envoy Olusegun Obasanjo is optimistic that a common ground towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ethiopia can be secured and called on all people of goodwill and leaders to refrain from actions or rhetoric that will, wittingly or unwittingly, worsen the conflict.
In a statement on the prospects for peace in Ethiopia, Obasanjo who is the High Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for the Horn of Africa, on Sunday, noted that war represents a failure of politics and, as such, dialogue remains the only reliable and sustainable avenue to peace.
"There is no military solution to the conflict and battlefield victory cannot guarantee political stability in Ethiopia,” the former Nigerian President said, in a statement.
Obasanjo left Ethiopia on Thursday after meeting Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and leaders of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) rebel group while Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, on Sunday, landed in Ethiopia on a one-day visit during which he held private talks with Abiy and Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde.
In November 2020, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered a military offensive in the northern Tigray region after an army base there, according to media reports, was taken over by forces loyal to the regional government of Tigray.
More than 12 months, reports indicate that the unresolved conflict and fighting has left hundreds dead, displaced more than two million people from their homes, and fueled famine, among others.
The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Amb. Moussa Faki Mahamat, on November 3, issued a statement urging parties to the conflict to engage in dialogue to seek a peaceful solution in the interests of the country.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has backed Obasanjo’s efforts at mediation and threatened to impose sanctions on the Ethiopian government and the TPLF unless they move forward on talks.
Obasanjo appealed to the leadership of all sides to the conflict to halt their military offensives so as to allow an opportunity for dialogue to continue to progress.
He said: "Such talks cannot deliver in an environment of escalated military hostilities.”
"I, too, remain dedicated to the cause of peace, and we will continue to work towards this goal, without which human security and development cannot be achieved.”
As the conflict enters its second year, reports indicate that some foreign countries including the UK and US have issued travel advisories to their citizens residing in Ethiopia.