The mediating role of AU should further be consolidated

BY DARGIE KAHSAY

The Ethiopian Government accepted the African Union (AU) call for the peace talk initiative to end the conflict in Northern Ethiopia. On Wednesday, the Government of Ethiopia through the Government Communication Service (GCS) publicized its readiness to participate at the AU led peace-talk, which the AU announced to be held in South Africa. The Peace talk initiative, according to AU, is led by the former President of Nigeria and the current AU special envoy for the Horn of Africa, Olusegun Obasanjo.

Though it was not successful, Ethiopia has repeatedly announced its commitment to end the conflict in the Northern part of the country peacefully. Months ago, for instance, it announced a unilateral humanitarian truce aside from expressing its readiness to participate in any peace talk initiative led by AU without any precondition. Ethiopia’s firm stance is to solve African problems under the umbrella of the African Union with its firm stance of “African solutions for African problems.”

Now, since the AU announced the whole peace process is under the umbrella of the continental organization, keeping its promise, the Ethiopian government immediately publicized its commitment to participate in the peace talk initiative, which is expected to start in the near future, according to the AU schedule.

Nothing else, internal conflict is the failure of politicians to negotiate with give and take principle. If politicians try to understand the consequences, there is no winner in internal conflict. By its nature, internal conflict is a lose-lose conflict with no winner. The people, the economy of the country and the environment suffers a lot from internal conflicts and that is what we are experiencing in Northern Ethiopia. Not only the government, every actor has a responsibility to end this tragic conflict and the people are eagerly waiting to see this conflict end and the resumption of peace.

The Ethiopian Government repeatedly announced that its primary option is peace and for this it has repeatedly shown its readiness to pay all costs for peace even if it forcedly entered as it has the responsibility to save the unity and territorial integrity of Ethiopia. As it has been doing previously, the incumbent government officially accepted AU’s peace talk initiative, to find peaceful means for the conflict.

To make a peace talk successful, the willingness and commitment of parties is badly needed to cease-fire and end it with peace talk applying give and take principle without taking some issues out of round table discussion. Since the Government expresses its readiness for genuine peace talk under AU, now to make the initiative successful, the other actor, Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) should also be ready for the peace deal. On its Wednesday announcement of acceptance to the AU call, TPLF put some preconditions including clarification of observant and other actors in addition to AU.

African political actors should build trust in African institutions in order to solve African conflicts and problems. Ethiopia gives due respect for African institutions and shows it practically as it trusted African actors to play in solving African problems. With its firm stance of “African solutions for African problems,” Ethiopia is happy to accept AU’s calls to solve the problems it has faced, not only issues related to internal conflict but also the dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) with the downstream countries.

Africa and its giant institution, AU, are strong enough to solve African problems. Ethiopia trusts Africa and its institutions and the firm stances of Ethiopia originated from this position. More than any foreign actor, AU gives due attention to solve African problems and that is what we are experiencing in the conflict in Ethiopia. Before any external actor, AU assigned a special envoy to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Northern Ethiopia since the outbreak of the war. The efforts of Olusegun Obasanjo of AU envoy achieved a lot at least in resolving differences in round table discussion.

Before Olusegun, there was no foreign actor appearing to mediate differences between the two actors. The current peace talk initiative is also the effort of AU and AU’s envoy, Olusegun. Hence, the peace talk initiative made so far between the Ethiopian Government and TPLF is the product of AU. If AU does not decided to mediate the two parties, it is hard to imagine that the two parties are officially accepting the call of AU’s peace talk initiative and meeting in one roof.

I think, AU is on the right track to solve African problems with African solutions. Thus, all political actors should give due credit to AU. Without limiting itself in it, AU should further strengthen and extend its roles to solve the problems of the continent in its own capacity with a genuine and impartial stance.

As the charter of the AU respects the sovereignty and unity of recognized member states, peace talks mainly to solve internal conflicts should be based on the AU charter. With this principle, I hope the conflict in Northern parts of Ethiopia will get a peaceful solution.

 Editor’s Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald

The Ethiopian Herald October 8/2022

Recommended For You