US envoy in Ethiopia to push for peace efforts

The new US envoy for the Horn of Africa, Mike Hammer, has arrived in Ethiopia to advance peace efforts between the government and Tigrayan rebels.

On Thursday a senior official in the capital Addis Ababa said the government was ready to negotiate without pre-conditions.

Fighting has eased in recent months following a truce, to allow much-needed humanitarian aid into Tigray and neighbouring regions.

The UN says more than five million people are in urgent need of food in northern Ethiopia.

The US envoy is also trying to help resolve a regional dispute triggered by the construction of a dam on the River Nile in western Ethiopia.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

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