According to BBC, Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed stated that “the situation in northern Ethiopia will come to an end; peace will prevail. We will not continue fighting forever. I believe that in a short period of time, we will stand with our Tigrayan brothers for peace and development.”
Earlier this week, Ethiopia’s government said it was aiming to control all airports in the region and announced the capture of three key cities, including Shire, which is home to large numbers of people displaced by the conflict. This conflict began nearly two years ago and destroyed hospitals, schools, factories, and businesses by Ethiopian federal forces, regional militias, and the Eritrean armed forces.
The Ethiopian government accepted an invitation by the African Union to participate in peace talks to be held in South Africa on October 24th to end the war that has killed an unspecified number of people and displaced millions.
Aid distributions are being hampered by a lack of fuel and a communications blackout in Tigray. According to an internal document, the Associated Press reported Saturday that a U.N. team found “10 starvation-related deaths” at seven camps for internally displaced people in northwestern Tigray.