The American emissary for the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman, arrived Thursday at Addis Ababa, while the rebels of the forces of Tygrennes defenses threaten to “walk” on the capital.
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Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, is the theater for several days of intense negotiations, unpublished since the beginning of a fratricidal war started one year, intended to snatch peace between the federal government and the rebels of the forces of Typerian defenses (TDF). “We have never been too close to a ceasefire. It’s now or never,” says an African diplomat. Sometimes called negotiations of the last chance, this attempt at mediation takes place while the country seems at the edge of the chasm.
The turn taken by military operations in recent weeks, largely in favor of the rebel coalition which has put in hand on the two strategic cities of Drawing and Kombolcha, forced diplomats and executives to express expressly a form of dialogue. . In front of the advanced TDF and their threat to “walk” on Addis Ababa, the American emissary for the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman, visited on Thursday, November 4th. A mission made at the request of the Ethiopian authorities, ensure several sources.
Prerequisites Unacceptable
At a press conference in Washington, upstream of his visit, Mr. Feltman had acknowledged that the different parties to the conflict, rebel as the federal power, did not seem “to be in no way open to the idea of An agreement on de-escalation leading to a negotiated ceasefire and one form or other negotiation “. Less than a week after, his meetings with Ethiopian leaders, those of the African Union and some Western partners, however, raise a little hope. Sign that a dialogue is in progress: the emissar has decided to repel his departure from Addis Ababa originally scheduled for Friday.
A dialogue but not yet negotiations. If the two parties to the conflict seem a priori volunteer to start talks, they still go on unacceptable prerequisites for each camp. The Tigerian rebels would seek the end of the humanitarian blockade and the restoration of basic services in Tiger. The government would like, for its part, the departure of the rebel troops of the Afar and Amhara regions, where they have risen yet, now at 270 kilometers from Addis Ababa.
In addition to some diplomats are reserved on the chances of seeing the negotiations quickly, Ethiopia specialists do not hide their pessimism. “Can we really believe in goodwill negotiations and a ceasefire while both camps are steadily increasing their war effort?”, Questions an analyst who closely follows the evolution of the evolution of Ethiopian conflict. The latest developments observed on the battlefield and rhetoric used by each camp indicate an increase in conflictuality.
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