Ethiopian PM in shuttle diplomacy as pressure mounts over Tigray conflict
-
Staff reporter GAROWE ONLINE
- Posted On 30-08-2021, 01:32PM
KIGALI, Rwanda - In what could be a strategic move to find an amicable solution to the Tigray conflict, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has been embroiled in shuttle diplomacy, focusing on East Africa's influential nations, some of them which are no strangers to wars.
Even before his trips to Uganda and Rwanda over the weekend, Abiy Ahmed had visited Eritrea, South Sudan, and Turkey. It's perhaps the Asmara and Ankara trips that ignited the rift, with a number of accusations coming out.
According to sources, at Eritrea, Abiy Ahmed requested military assistance in Tigray, with reports indicating that Eritrea troops have started returning to Tigray. On the other side, Turkey has been accused of assisting Ethiopia with drones, but no response from Ankara.
Over the weekend, Abiy Ahmed visited Uganda and Rwanda where he met Presidents Yoweri Museveni and Paul Kagame respectively. Both Rwanda and Uganda have previously faced conflicts that led to the deaths of thousands of people.
In 1994, Rwanda plunged into civil war following the genocide that targeted the Tutsi minority and moderate Khutus. In northern Uganda, Museveni has been dealing with a rebellion that has lasted for over three decades, led by Lord Resistance Army [LRA].
Although Abiy Ahmed did not elaborate on some of the main agendas in his trip to Uganda, he said: "My appreciation to President Kaguta Museveni for a warm welcome to Uganda and important deliberations on various bilateral and regional issues. I look forward to meeting again soon."
Perhaps, it's Museveni who was a little bit clear, citing some of the main points of discussion. According to him, security matters in Ethiopia featured in his meetings with Abiy Ahmed, adding that Addis Ababa should not admit politics of "ethnic federalism".
"Our discussion focused on the peace and security issues affecting Ethiopia currently. Being one of the oldest countries that were not colonized in Africa, Ethiopia is the pride of the continent. Africa's problem is that we never discuss ideology, focusing so much on diplomacy," he said.
"I totally disagree with politics that focus on ethnic federalism. We must emphasize the issue of oneness and common interests because it is the only way we can prosper," Mr. Museveni posted on his social media platforms.
Abiy Ahmed has been accusing Tigray Defense Forces [TDF] of causing anarchy in the country, arguing that the faction, which led Tigray for long, was hell-bent to break the country. But TDF has in return been accusing Ethiopia of executing innocent civilians in the Tigray region.
In Rwanda, the two teams did not reveal some of the main issues that were featured in the meetings. However, both confirmed that bilateral ties between Addis Ababa and Kigali dominated the meeting, which lasted for several hours.
"President Kagame is now hosting Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali to dinner following the tête-à-tête discussion during which they discussed various topics of mutual interest including issues specific to both countries, and the region as well as global current affairs," Rwanda's presidency noted.
"Thank you to President Paul Kagame for the warm welcome afforded to me and my delegation. We held good discussions on bilateral and regional issues of mutual significance," Abiy Ahmed said in a tweet.
But Rashid Abdi, an analyst on the Horn of Africa matters, notes that the shuttle diplomatic trips by Abiy Ahmed may have focused on helping Ethiopia to deal with TDF. He adds that the move might be counter-productive, noting that it's time for Addis Ababa to engage with TDF.
"PM Abiy has held talks with Museveni, Kagame, and Salva Kiir in a bid to extract support from them for the war. Message from East Africa to Ethiopia is: stop the war, engage with Tigray government," Abdi says in his analysis.
Both Rwanda and Uganda have participated in sending troops to neighboring countries for peacekeeping missions. Kigali has troops in DR Congo and Mozambique while Uganda has troops in Somalia and Southern Sudan.
Tigray conflict broke out in November 2020 when the TDF attacked the Northern Command, triggering the deployment of Ethiopia National Defense Forces [ENDF] to the region. ENDF left in July after a ceasefire was announced but TDF has regrouped and is taking most parts of the Afar and Amhara regions.
GAROWE ONLINE
