In Tanzania, Ethiopia begins talks with violent Oromo rebels

By The Associated Press

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Ethiopia’s federal government and a rebel group from the country’s Oromia region opened peace talks on Tuesday in the Tanzanian island archipelago of Zanzibar, according to a spokesperson for the militants. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced the talks with the Oromo Liberation Army, or OLA, on Sunday. Odaa Tarbii, the OLA’s spokesperson, told the AP that the Oromia talks began on Tuesday morning and are expected to last until Thursday. He called them “preliminary talks meant to pave the way for comprehensive negotiations in the very near future.” The OLA is listed as a terrorist group by Ethiopia’s parliament and has been accused of widespread atrocities, including a massacre of hundreds of villagers in June.