Uhuru happy with peace talks progress, hopes for stability in Tigray by 2023

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta when he presided over a second command meeting on Tigray peace talks convened by African Union. [Courtesy, Twitter]

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta is happy that peace negotiations between Ethiopian government and Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) are paying off.

Uhuru spoke on Thursday afternoon in Karen, Nairobi, during a meeting convened by African Union between the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and TPLF.

The meeting was aimed to follow up on the implementation of the Permanent Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA).

He said he hopes the region will be peaceful and the country eventually stable.

"We are indeed making tremendous progress and today is another day where, the parties have agreed to a series of actions and activities all aimed at bringing us back to the state of normalcy in Tigray and bringing us to the state of peace in Ethiopia," said Uhuru.

He added: "We agreed that the true statement that they need to make will be the statement they will make when we are in Mekele in the next few days, observing and verifying the actions. The document is one thing and what we want now is the deliverables and that is why we are heading to Mekele. Before end of this month."

Mekele is a special zone and capital of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. It was formerly the capital of Enderta awraja in Tigray.

He said the cordial working relationship between senior military commanders and representatives of the two parties has been admirable, adding that they are confident that the negotiations are heading in the right direction.

"This will be verified in the next few days as we hope to see Ethiopians celebrate 2023 and their Christmas, which we have been reminded is on January 7... that they will not only be able to enjoy a new year but a Christmas of peace. With a great deal of hope for the future of their country and her people," he added.

The meeting finalised the Term of Reference(ToR) of the Joint Monitoring, Verification and Compliance Mechanism(JMVCM).

It also discussed the implementation of the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR).

"The African Union Commission commends the parties for the positive confidence-building measures since the signing of the COHA and encourages them to continue with their efforts to restore peace, security and stability in Ethiopia," said Dr Alhaji Sarjoh Bah, Director of Conflict Management Directorate Political Affairs Peace and Security Department at African Union.

The meeting, which was held at Kenya Defence Forces Moran Centre, was facilitated by AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa and former President of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo. This was done jointly with the other AU High Level Panel members; Uhuru, Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, former Deputy President of South Africa and Member of the AU Panel of the Wise.

Asked whether part of the agreement was removing foreign forces in the Tigray region, Uhuru said yes.

"Without mentioning names, it is indeed part of the agreement that all foreign forces will be out of the Tigray region," he said.

He added that allowing humanitarian access and resumption of services like banking among others were part of the discussions and will be monitored and verified once they are in Mekele.

Uhuru said the monitoring and verification team of the AU will have full access and 360 degrees view point to ensure all the elements of the agreement are implemented.