Abiy rules out dialogue with Tigray rebels in meeting with AU envoys

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed again ruled out dialogue with the leaders of the rebel Tigray region during a meeting with African Union special envoys on Friday.

Abiy told the envoys trying to end the conflict between Ethiopian troops and Tigray’s forces that he is willing to speak to representatives “operating legally” in the region, The Associated Press news agency reported on Friday.

The meeting came as people in Mekelle, the capital of Tigray state braced for what Addis Ababa termed as the final phase of the conflict which started on November 4th.

Abiy, who has resisted international mediation as "interference,'' said he appreciated the AU envoys' "elderly concern'' but told them his government's failure to enforce the rule of law in Tigray would `"nurture a culture of impunity with devastating cost to the survival of the country,'' according to his office. 

AP