On Wednesday, October 12, six Western nations, including the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom, signed a united declaration regarding the conflict in Ethiopia. Regarding the country’s worsening humanitarian catastrophe and rising conflict, they expressed their “grave worry.” While the likelihood of the peace negotiations announced last week is still highly dubious, they call for a halt to the hostilities and for political discourse.
It seems to be an indication of extreme impatience. Six nations—and not the least—important economic allies of Ethiopia, Australia, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States—released a joint statement on Wednesday. In a statement that was very forceful in its demands, the African Union urged “the Ethiopian government and the regional authorities in Tigray” to “immediately cease military offensives, agree to a cessation of hostilities, allow unhindered and sustained humanitarian access, and seek a negotiated settlement through peace talks.”
The six states also “condemn” the “involvement of Eritrean military forces” in the war and call on them “to stop their military operations and withdraw from northern Ethiopia. “All foreign actors must stop fuelling this conflict,” they said.
The declaration, which comes while the war continues, follows several days of diplomatic silence, even though there had been discussion of peace negotiations in South Africa before the weekend. Future negotiations’ modalities are still being discussed in private, but their existence is no longer guaranteed.