UN chief welcomes de-escalation in northern Ethiopia
Ethiopian National Defense Force soldiers walk along a road toward the frontline in Gashena on December 6, 2021.
United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday welcomed the de-escalation gestures of the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan forces in northern Ethiopia.
He welcomed the Ethiopian government's announcement on Thursday that its forces will pause at its current positions, as well as the Tigrayan forces' message that they had withdrawn from the Afar and Amhara regions back into Tigray, said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for Guterres, in a statement.
"The secretary-general urges the parties to grasp this opportunity, cease hostilities in the year-long conflict, take all steps to ensure the provision of much-needed humanitarian assistance, the withdrawal of foreign fighters, and address political differences through a credible and inclusive national dialogue," said the statement.
Guterres also called on the international community to play a constructive role in supporting an end to the fighting in northern Ethiopia, which broke out in Tigray in November 2020 before spilling over to neighboring Afar and Amhara regions.
