OLUSEGUN OBASANJO

Ethiopian authorities have named a team of seven negotiators for possible peace talks with Tigray forces.

As he starts his second term as U.N. secretary-general, Antonio Guterres says the world is worse in many ways than it was five years ago because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis and geopolitical tensions that have sparked conflicts everywhere.

APTOPIX Ethiopia Timkat Festival Christians from the Ethiopian Orthodox church celebrate the first day of the festival of Timkat, or Epiphany, in the capital Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. (AP Photo) (Uncredited)NAIROBI, Kenya — (AP) — The United Nations secretary-general said Wednesday he was delighted to hear “there is now a demonstrable effort to make peace” in Ethiopia after more than 14 months of war, but he gave no details. Ethiopia's war has killed an estimated tens of thousands of people and displaced millions. The Tigray forces withdrew into their region last month after a drone-assisted military offensive halted their approach to Ethiopia's capital. Ethiopian forces said they wouldn't pursue them further into the region, which some in the international community saw as an opening for mediation efforts.

The United Nations secretary-general says he is delighted to hear “there is now a demonstrable effort to make peace” in Ethiopia after more than 14 months of war.

The United Nations secretary-general said Wednesday he was delighted to hear “there is now a demonstrable effort to make peace” in Ethiopia after more than 14 months of war, but he gave no details. Antonio Guterres’ statement on Wednesday came after a call with African Union envoy Olusegun Obasanjo following the envoy’s latest visit to Addis Ababa and the capital of Ethiopia’s embattled Tigray region. Guterres said Obasanjo “expressed optimism that there is now a real opportunity for political and diplomatic resolution of the conflict.”