Ethiopia: Tigray peace talks set to be held in South Africa

Ethiopia's government has said that peace talks had been announced by the African Union for October 24 in South Africa to try to resolve the nearly two-year war in Tigray.

"AUC (African Union Commission) has informed us that the Peace Talks are set for 24 Oct, 2022 to be held in South Africa. We have reconfirmed our commitment to participate," Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's national security adviser Redwan Hussein posted on Twitter on Thursday.

"However, we are dismayed that some are bent on preempting the peace talks & spreading false allegations against the defensive measures."

READ MORE: Ethiopia to seize airports in Tigray as UN urges end to hostilities

Calls for halt to violence

International calls for a halt to escalating violence in Tigray have been mounting since a failed attempt by the AU earlier this month to bring the warring sides to the negotiating table.

The government and rebel leaders from Tigray had agreed to participate in AU-led talks, but the meeting never took place and conflict has spiralled in the war-torn region.

The government announced this week the capture of three towns in Tigray, where Ethiopian forces and their allies from neighbouring Eritrea have been waging an offensive against rebels from the region.

Northern Ethiopia has been wracked by war for almost two years, causing a humanitarian disaster in Africa's second-most populous country.

READ MORE: Rebels in Ethiopia's Tigray announces they will abide ceasefire