Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Rejects Peace Talks As Tigray Crisis Deepens (UPDATED)

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, has rejected a request for peace talks as the conflict in Tigray deepens.

On Friday last week, The Tigray President Debretsion Gebremichael wrote to the African Union to request talks after which the chairman of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, urged the federal government and the Tigray state authorities to engage in dialogue.

But Abiy Ahmed said in a tweet that there would be no dialogue until  efforts to ascertain the rule of law are achieved.

In a series of tweets Abiy said law enforcement operations in Tigray are proceeding as planned and that operations will cease as soon as the criminal junta is disarmed, legitimate administration in the region restored, and fugitives apprehended & brought to justice.

According to the state broadcaster in Ethiopia, The national armed forces have killed 550 Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) fighters although the claim has not been independently verified.

Also, Officials in Sudan, which is on the border with the Tigray region, say at least 6,000 Ethiopians have arrived in the country.