The Ethiopian government says it will start peace talks with the rebel group, the Oromo Liberation Army.
The group is based in Oromia, the country’s largest and most populous region. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said on Sunday that the negotiations would start on Tuesday in neighbouring Tanzania.
“The government and the people greatly want this negotiation, no benefit will come out of war,” Ahmed said during an event to celebrate progress in the peace process with another group, the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF).
The Oromo Liberation Army has also agreed to the planned talks with the government. “The Ethiopian regime has accepted our terms for peace negotiations, which include the involvement of an independent third-party mediator and a commitment to maintain transparency throughout the process,” OLA has said in a press statement.
"This is a crucial and positive step towards establishing a lasting peace in the region," it added.
The armed group said it ‘’remains unwavering in its commitment to engaging in constructive dialogue and working towards a peaceful resolution that addresses the grievances and aspirations of the Oromo people.”
Neither Abiy nor the OLA gave details on the format of the new talks, who exactly would mediate.
The Ethiopian government had designated the OLA as ‘’terrorist’’ group in 2021. The authorities blamed it for killings in the country’s Oromia region.
But the group denies these allegations saying it is only agitating for self-determination, human rights, and equality of the Oromo people.
The OLA has been fighting the Ethiopian federal government since it broke way in 2018 from the historic Oromo Liberation Front (OLF).
The split of the Oromia rebel groups gave rise to a string of armed groups claiming to be one, but with loose ties. Oromia has suffered ethnic massacres in recent years carried out by armed groups.
The agreement to start talks between the Ethiopian federal government and the Oromo Liberation Army comes after the government successfully reached a peace deal with another armed group, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) following a two-year civil war in the Tigray region.
Tens of thousands of people were killed and millions displaced in the Tigray conflict until a a peace deal was signed in Kenya last year.
The start of the implementation of the peace agreement saw the government removing TPLF from its list of terrorist organisations and appointing a senior official of group, Getachew Reda, as the interim administrator of the Tigray region last month.
