AU chair, president Cyril Ramaphosa earlier this week said the envoys were in Addis Ababa"with a view to helping to mediate between the parties to conflict" in Ethiopia.African peace envoys were due to meet Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Friday, a day after he said the military was beginning the"final phase" of an offensive in the northern Tigray region that rights groups fear could bring huge civilian casualties.
The envoys were due to meet Abiy at 11 a.m. , Redwan Hussein, spokesman of the government's State of Emergency Task Force for the Tigray conflict, said. Abiy, who won last year's Nobel Peace Prize for ending a two-decade standoff with Eritrea, has said he will not talk with TPLF leaders until they are defeated or give up.
The conflict has sent shockwaves through the Horn of Africa. More than 43,000 refugees have fled to Sudan. TPLF rockets have hit the capital of neighbouring Eritrea.
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