Tigrayan rebels have proposed a conditional truce in the war in northern Ethiopia, a spokesman for the group said on Friday, as fresh fighting forced a halt to aid deliveries in the stricken Tigray region.
The resumption of fighting last month shattered a March truce, with frantic diplomatic efforts now under way to find a peaceful resolution to the nearly two-year war.
In a letter sent to the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres dated Wednesday, the leader of the Tigray People's Liberation Front, Debretsion Gebremichael, called for a conditional cessation of hostilities as fighting escalates on multiple fronts.
According to a copy of the letter seen by AFP and confirmed by TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda, Mr Debretsion said the truce would depend on four conditions, including "unfettered humanitarian access" and the restoration of essential services in Tigray.
Ethiopia's northernmost region has suffered severe food shortages and limited access to basic services including electricity, communications and banking.
The truce had allowed aid convoys to travel to Tigray for the first time since mid-December but on Wednesday, a UN report said deliveries, including by air, had been halted due to renewed fighting.
The violence has also hit access to aid in the neighbouring Amhara region.
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Captive Ethiopian soldiers arrive at the Mekele Rehabilitation Centre in Tigray, Ethiopia, after a four-day journey from Abdi Eshir. All photos: AFP -
Women welcome Tigray People's Liberation Front fighters as they return to Mekele after seizing control of the city in June 2021. -
Ethiopians who fled the Tigray conflict wait to charge their phones at Um Raquba refugee camp in Gedaref, Sudan. -
A member of the Afar Special Forces stands in front of the debris of a house on the outskirts of the village of Bisober in Tigray. -
People hold candles and Ethiopian flags at a memorial service for the victims of the Tigray conflict in Addis Ababa. -
An Ethiopian refugee who fled fighting in Tigray waits behind a fence in a camp in Sudan. -
Refugees living in a camp in Sudan after fleeing violence in Tigray. -
A woman walks among the remains of a destroyed factory in Ataye, Ethiopia, where more than 100 civilians died in a recent flare-up of violence. -
Two members of the Amhara militia ride in the back of a pick-up truck. Amharas and Tigrayans were uneasy neighbours before the current fighting, with tension over land sparking violent clashes. -
Militias from the Amhara region have been involved in the fighting in Tigray. -
Tens of thousands of Ethiopians gather at a rally organised by the mayor of Addis Ababa to show support for the military's efforts in Tigray. -
Zeleke Alabachew, farmer and militia fighter, tends to his land near the village of Tekeldengy, Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation. -
People celebrate the liberation of opposition leaders in the city of Alamata, Ethiopia. -
A family fleeing violence sit in a former classroom at May Weyni secondary school, now hosting 10,500 displaced people, in Mekele, capital of Tigray. -
Ethiopian refugees travel to Sudan to escape violence in Tigray. -
Ethiopian refugees gather to celebrate the 46th anniversary of the Tigray People's Liberation Front at Um Raquba refugee camp in Gedaref, Sudan. The TPLF dominated Ethiopian politics before being ousted from their regional stronghold last year. -
An Ethiopian refugee sets up a tent in a camp in the town of Gedaref, Sudan, after being transported from the border reception centre. -
Pro-Tigrayan demonstrators display placards during a protest in front of the chancellery in Berlin. -
The aftermath of heavy shelling in Wukro, a city north of Mekele, in Ethiopia.
Fighting erupted around Tigray's southeastern border on August 24, but has since spread along the region's southern border to areas west and north of the initial clashes.
A diplomatic source and a foreign source told AFP on Thursday that fighting had intensified along Tigray's northern border, with pro-government forces and troops from neighbouring Eritrea ― which backed Ethiopia's army in the early stages of the war ― aiming at rebel positions.
AFP was not able to independently verify the claims. Access to northern Ethiopia is severely restricted and Tigray has been under a communications blackout for over a year.
Mr Debretsion also called for "the withdrawal of Eritrean forces from every part of Ethiopian and Tigrayan territory, under international monitoring, to positions in which they can no longer pose any threat to us".
He also asked the Security Council to ensure the withdrawal of troops from western Tigray, a disputed region claimed by Amharas and Tigrayans, that has been occupied by Amhara forces since the war erupted, triggering large-scale displacement and US warnings of ethnic cleansing.
There was no response from the Ethiopian government to the letter.
The sharp rise in violence has sparked international concern, with the US envoy to the Horn of Africa, Mike Hammer, extending his stay in Ethiopia, according to diplomatic sources.
The warring sides have traded blame for starting the latest round of hostilities.
The war erupted in November 2020 when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent troops to topple the TPLF, the region's former ruling party, saying the move came in response to attacks by the group on army camps.
