UN, AU Turn to Former Nigerian President as Ethiopia Peace Deal Comes Under Strain
The United Nations and African Union have backed renewed mediation efforts by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo as escalating tensions in northern Ethiopia threaten to undermine the 2022 peace agreement that ended the Tigray conflict.
The two organisations are urging the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front to return to direct dialogue and resolve outstanding disputes under the Pretoria Agreement. The appeal follows renewed military tensions in Tigray, including fighting and the seizure of airports in Mekelle, Axum and Shire.
Obasanjo, who serves as the African Union’s High Representative for the Horn of Africa, led the African Union-backed negotiations that produced the Permanent Cessation of Hostilities Agreement in November 2022. The African Union has now asked him to re-engage the parties and support efforts to reduce tensions and preserve the progress made since the agreement.
The renewed diplomatic push reflects concern that a return to sustained fighting could reverse years of peacebuilding and worsen the humanitarian situation in northern Ethiopia. The United Nations has warned that the deteriorating security situation is already disrupting humanitarian operations and could lead to a wider conflict if tensions are not contained.
For Obasanjo, the latest assignment represents a return to a peace process he helped establish four years ago. The renewed focus on his mediation also highlights the wider role of African-led diplomacy in preventing the collapse of the Pretoria Agreement and containing instability in the Horn of Africa.
