A coalition of 25 international partners has issued a strong joint statement backing the African Union-led mediation efforts in northern Ethiopia, warning that a renewed conflict would bring catastrophic consequences to a region still reeling from one of Africa’s deadliest modern wars.
The statement was issued by the diplomatic missions of the European Union Delegation to Ethiopia and the African Union, alongside EU member states France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Sweden, as well as the embassies of Canada, Norway, and the United Kingdom. It reflects a growing international concern over the fraying 2022 Pretoria peace agreement.
“We are following developments in northern Ethiopia with deep concern,” the statement emphasizes. The diplomats “encourage all parties to engage constructively and in good faith to implement the Permanent Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA),” while welcoming renewed engagement, including recent visits and meetings in Addis Ababa and Mekelle by the AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa and former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Over the past months, both sides have been massing troops along the northern border, with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) accusing the federal army of drone strikes, while Addis Ababa alleges military preparations by Tigrayan forces.
The joint statement specifically points out that “a renewed military confrontation in the drought-stricken Tigray region, which faces staggering humanitarian needs, would be devastating for the people of northern Ethiopia.”
On August 25, the Government of the National Regional State of Tigray issued a statement confirming that former President Obasanjo had made an unannounced visit to Mekelle. Although the regional president adjusted his schedule to meet with the AU delegation, the government noted a “lack of meaningful follow-up” regarding discussions held since June.
Among the five critical issues identified in those earlier talks that remain unresolved are: lifting the economic embargo on Tigray; ending the military encirclement and stabilizing the security situation; restoring occupied territories; facilitating the safe return of displaced persons; and restoring the legal and political status of the TPLF. The Tigrayan government stated that Obasanjo had indicated he would return within one to two weeks following consultations with federal authorities, but “no such follow-up took place.”
The statement declares, “We have neither the appetite nor the political space to repeat a process that has failed over the past four years,” describing the process as characterized by “repeated talks, unfulfilled assurances, and continued deterioration on the ground.”
U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia Ervin Massinga and U.S. Mission to the African Union Chargé d’Affaires Walter Parrs similarly praised Obasanjo’s visit to Mekelle while noting that deep-seated fear and anxiety persist among local populations regarding a potential relapse into conflict.
Diplomats stressed that the primary objective for all leaders must be facilitating the safe and dignified return of displaced populations to their productive lives—a goal that demands immediate compromise and dialogue. The United States previously imposed targeted visa restrictions on hardline members of the TPLF accused of undermining the peace process.