This archive report was first published on 27 August 2021.
Published on August 27, 2021, a group of 55 African intellectuals have added their voice to the call for peace in Ethiopia, demanding the country's warring parties to lay down arms for dialogue.
The group, which includes Kenya's former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, Prof Makau Mutua of the SUNY Buffalo Law School, and economist David Ndii, say the Ethiopian conflict is causing unnecessary loss of life and livelihood and must be stopped immediately.
They argue that Ethiopia's role as an example of Africa's resilience and a host to the African Union demands urgent intervention, and that a delay in intervention has encouraged protagonists to fight on.
“The AU, its member states—particularly Ethiopia’s neighbouring states—must not allow Ethiopia to dictate the terms of their engagement in seeking resolution to this conflict,” the letter said.
The intellectuals, who include academics, legal practitioners, politicians, scientists, economists, writers, and civil society activists, are referring to the main protagonists in Ethiopia's war, including the government in Addis and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).
Since November last year, the government in Addis has been fighting the TPLF, the erstwhile ruling party that had been in charge of Tigray region before the Ethiopian government proscribed it as a terrorist group.
The war has also involved regional militia opposed to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's leadership, including the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), which has announced a 'pact' with the TPLF, complicating matters.
Ethiopian Prime Minister's Spokesperson Billene Seyoum said on Thursday that at least 500,000 people in Afar had been displaced “due to TPLF incursion” in addition to the humanitarian crisis seen in Tigray earlier.
The TPLF have denied the charge and USAid on Wednesday also rejected claims that it had supplied humanitarian aid to fighters.
The intellectuals condemned the destruction of important cultural sites and institutions such as mosques and churches built more than a century ago.
They urged Ethiopia's warring partners to agree to dialogue so as to reach an amicable solution, and called on the African Union and its member states to take a proactive role in mediating the conflict.
