After a prolonged stalemate, beginning with a truce in March of this year, last month saw the return to violence between Ethiopian government forces and the Tigray-region group, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
An airstrike on the capital of the Tigray region has been reported to have killed civilians, albeit the Ethiopian government denies targeting non-combatants.
Since then, the latter has stated their openness to peace talks, mediated by the African Union (AU).
Chairperson of the Commission of the AU, Moussa Faki Mahamat, has tweeted that he is confident an understanding between the two sides can be reached.
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has also released a statement recently asking for peace talks to begin.
Looking forward, the Tigray region’s priorities will likely include restoring energy supplies and infrastructure to the area, and a key element will be the establishment of civilian corridors to ensure humanitarian aid reaches the population.
