Who are the African mediators leading Tigray talks in South Africa

CAPTE TOWN - Talks to end hostilities in the Tigray region of Ethiopia kicked off in earnest within the republic of South Africa, with the Ethiopian government and Tigray People's Liberation Front [TPLF] expected to reach a truce after several months of stalemate.

Moussa Faki, the African Union Commission boss, announced that the talks started on Tuesday but did not give timelines for the entire process. Both parties had raised suspicions but the commission has since settled their fears ahead of the showdown.

In a statement, the commission said former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is also the African Union High Representative to the Horn of Africa, will lead the talks. Obasanjo had been trying to reconcile the two parties but all his efforts did not materialize.

"The Talks are facilitated by H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo, the AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa and former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, along with former President Uhuru Kenyatta of the Republic of Kenya; and former Deputy President Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka of the Republic of South Africa."

Obasanjo has conflict resolution experience having led a polarized country that witnessed many coups and in fact, he was a beneficiary of the same. He has, however, been the lead peace ambassador in Africa since his retirement a couple of decades ago.

Uhuru Kenyatta, the immediate former Kenyan president had won the confidence of both Addis Ababa and Mekelle before he retired in September, and was recalled by his successor William Ruto, who asked him to carry on with the peace-building process in Tigray which he had started.

Representatives of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development [IGAD], the United Nations [UN], and the Government of the United States of America [USA] are participating as observers in the AU-led peace process, the union noted.

Moussa Faki appreciated President Cyril Ramaphosa and the Government of South Africa for graciously accepting to host the talks in the spirit of pan-African solidarity to find African solutions to African problems. Ramaphosa has also been pushing for peace in the Tigray region.

"The Chairperson is further encouraged by the early demonstration of commitment to peace by the Parties and to seek a lasting political solution to the conflict in the supreme interest of Ethiopia," read the statement from the African Union.

"The Chairperson reiterates the AU’s continued commitment to support the Parties in an Ethiopian-owned and AU-led process to silence the guns towards a united, stable, peaceful, and resilient Ethiopia."

Tigray conflict has left thousands of people dead and millions displaced, with Eritrean troops accused of helping their Ethiopian counterparts to unleash violence on innocent civilians. Most of those who have died, WHO boss Dr. Tedros Adhenom claimed, are children and women.

GAROWE ONLINE