African Union Commissioner for Peace Says Has Demonstrated Commitment to Peace

April 21, 2022

The AU peace commissioner hopes that existing initiatives will bring about durable peace in Ethiopia  

Dina Mufti, spokesperson of MFAE, during briefing

Borkena

Bankole Adeoye, African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security seem to have a positivist evaluation of Ethiopia’s effort for lasting peace – something the United States has been pushing for over a year now by calling for the cessation of hostility. 

For the commissioner, “the release of high-profile political figures from prison, the lifting of the state of emergency before its due time, and the proposed National Dialogue demonstrate the Government’s commitment to ensuring lasting peace in the country,” as cited in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs report weekly briefing from the spokesperson, Dina Mufti. 

It was during a meeting with Demeke Mekonnen, last week, that the AU commissioner expressed optimism, from the reports of the Ministry, on the peace initiative. 

Last month, the Ethiopian government declared a humanitarian truce just a day after the US special envoy to the Horn of Africa, David Satterfield, visited Addis Ababa. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) accepted the truce the same day but its forces were roving in many parts of Afar region of Ethiopia. Last week, the U.S. government, which has been tacitly supporting the TPLF military operation, encouraged the TPLF to withdraw its forces from the Afar region. 

The commissioner expressed “hope that the initiatives would bring about durable peace in the country.”  

The African Union High Representative for the Horn of Africa (HoA) region, who is also a former president of Nigeria, Mr. Olusegun Obasanjo, has been shuttling between Mekele and Addis Ababa to facilitate negotiation between the Federal government and the TPLF leaders. 

During the meeting with Demeke Mekonnen, Mr. Bankole Adeoye emphasised the importance of support to the AU envoy to the region which the former agreed to, according to the latest report from the Ministry of Health. 

The humanitarian truce is meant to facilitate, as disclosed by the Ethiopian government, the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Tigray region. 

There had been frequent humanitarian fights to Mekelle, and at least 50 trucks of WFP aid had been delivered since then.