The African Union on Sunday called for an unconditional ceasefire in northern Ethiopia and urged the warring parties to “recommit” to peace talks, as violence intensifies in the Tigray region.
The city of Shire in north-west Tigray has been bombarded for days in an offensive by Ethiopian and Eritrean troops, with civilian casualties reported in the push against rebels from the region.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has joined the US and other western powers in voicing alarm over the worsening violence and its toll on civilians, and calling for both sides to settle “this catastrophic conflict”.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government, and the Tigrayan authorities, have accepted an AU invitation to talk, but negotiations scheduled to start last weekend in South Africa failed to materialise and no new date has been
