Key Ethiopia-rebel talks due to start in Tanzania

Ethiopia’s government and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) rebel group are scheduled to begin peace talks in Tanzania, but there are no details about the format of the negotiations or who will mediate.

According to Uganda’s Daily Monitor newspaper, Kenya and Norway are said to be facilitating the negotiations.

The US and the European Union are also reportedly interested in participating in the peace process.

Demeke Mekonnen, Ethiopia’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, is in Tanzania although it is unclear whether he is part of the government delegation for the talks.

The OLA has been fighting government forces in Oromia region since it split from a former rebel movement called the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) in 2018.

The talks in Tanzania come about six months after the Ethiopian government reached a peace deal with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) to end a bloody two-year war in the northern region of Tigray.

source: bbc