Eritrea, which has fought alongside neighboring Ethiopia, was notably not part of the peace talks. Eritrean forces have been blamed for some of the conflict’s worst abuses, including gang-rapes, and witnesses have described killings and lootings by Eritrean forces even during the peace talks. Forces from Ethiopia’s neighboring Amhara region also have been fighting Tigray ones, but Amhara representatives are also not part of the peace talks. The conflict began in November 2020, less than a year after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for making peace with Eritrea, which borders the Tigray region. In a speech Wednesday before the peace talks’ announcement, Ethiopia’s prime minster said that “we need to replicate the victory we got on the battlefield in peace efforts, too.

---