NAIROBI, Kenya (TBEN) – Ethiopian lawmakers have approved a bill to establish a national dialogue commission amid international pressure for negotiations to end the 13-month conflict in the Tigray region. “The creation of the commission will pave the way for a national consensus and will maintain the integrity of the country,” says the bill. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government has pledged to create such a commission to establish common ground on contentious issues. Some government officials have said specifically that the new commission will not engage in talks with the Tigray organization. “Against this background, it is safe to say that the National Dialogue Commission is just an extension of the government’s inadequate attempt to scratch the thick surface of Ethiopia’s otherwise multi-layered and complex political crisis,” she declared.

Source: Ethiopian News December 29, 2021 18:37 UTC