Obasanjo’s Office Rejects Bias Claims in Ethiopian Mediation Effort

The office of Olusegun Obasanjo, the African Union Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, has rejected recent claims challenging his impartiality in mediating tensions between the Ethiopian federal government and Tigray leaders.

“The facts say otherwise,” his office stated on September 7, responding to criticism from senior Tigray leadership following Obasanjo’s recent visit to Mekelle.

Tensions escalated after Amanuel Asefa, vice president of Tigray regional government, publicly questioned the envoy’s independence during regional media interviews. A subsequent statement issued by the Tigray Regional Government accused Obasanjo of taking direct instructions from Addis Ababa.

Tigray officials questioned about independence, impartiality and even seriousness of Obasanjo in the mediation process.

Obasanjo’s team dismissed the allegations, calling it “irresponsible for a mediator to share sensitive and confidential information to the public just for the sake of gaining attention.”

“The suggestions that President Obasanjo’s actions have been subordinated to the interests or instructions of one stakeholder over another fundamentally misrepresents both the nature of his mandate and the conduct of his engagements so far,” the statement added.

Obasanjo has been conducting shuttle diplomacy between Addis Ababa and Mekelle since June to prevent a relapse into armed conflict and ensure the continued implementation of the Pretoria Peace Agreement. Calling on the international community to monitor the situation closely, his office stressed that everything possible must be done “so that the people of Ethiopia will not have to witness the horrors of 2020 to 2022 yet again.”