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Ethiopia frees Tigray rebel leaders in biggest breakthrough since start of war

  • Some Tigray People’s Liberation Front figures are among the political rivals released by the government as it promises to begin dialogue
  • The country has been plagued by months of fighting. with reports of grave rights abuses and a de facto blockade on humanitarian aid

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Protesters call for the release of prominent opposition figures in the Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, in October. Photo: AP

Ethiopia has freed several opposition leaders from prison, the state broadcaster reported on Friday, as the government said it would begin dialogue with political opponents after 14 months of war when thousands of people have been arrested.

The move to free leaders from several ethnic groups is the most significant breakthrough since war broke out in the northern Tigray region, threatening the unity of Africa’s second-most populous state.

Some leaders of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the party fighting Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s central government, are among those freed.

“The key to lasting peace is dialogue,” a statement from the government communications office said. “One of the moral obligations of a victor is mercy.”

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What is behind the fighting in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region?

What is behind the fighting in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region?

The state-run Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation’s list of those being freed included two senior political leaders from Oromiya: Bekele Gerba, a senior leader of the Oromo Federalist Congress party, and Jawar Mohammed, founder of the Oromiya Media Network.

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