Ethiopia takes Tigray town ahead of anticipated peace talks in Ethiopia
The Ethiopian government has confirmed its plans to take the Gash-Auwad town in Tigray Region of Ethiopia ahead of a regional and international conference planned for February 14.
Officials in the Tigray Region said that the government of Ethiopia will be taking Gash-Auwad, the administrative centre of the Tigray Region, to prevent violence in the area.
Ethiopian officials say the authorities have made the decision to take Gash-Auwal as they want peace in the area. Officials in Tigray indicated that the move was a result of negotiations with the regional and international mediators to prevent violence that has been taking place in the area for many months.
Officials in the Tigray Region, including provincial governor, Habtamu Shiferaw, welcomed the move.
“We are happy that we have reached the agreement. This was what we had hoped to achieve. We are now committed to take all the necessary measures to guarantee the peace here. This will ensure a better future for us and for the people in the area,” Shiferaw said.
“We should never forget that peace is the fruit of sacrifices by the people of the region and by our armed forces. Ethiopia will take all the required measures to ensure that peace,” he added.
Shiferaw also said that Ethiopia is confident that this move will not affect security in the region.
“We have been involved in this conflict for the last four months. The people of Tigray have been suffering because of the clashes. No one expects the regional government to be forced to take all these measures.
“We are confident that we will be able to ensure that the region’s security and well-being is not seriously affected as a result of these measures,” he added.
The meeting to discuss the peace process in Tigray will take place in Jijiga, Ethiopia, on the 15th of February at the same time as the annual forum of the African Union, to be held at Jijiga.
The meeting is an outcome of another meeting in Addis Ababa by the Ethiopian and African Union leaders. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, African Union Chair Moussa Faki Mahamat, Ethiopian Vice chair Tewodros Bekele and Ethiopian Minister of