SW News: In Ethiopia’s restive Tigray region, at least 10 people were killed and several others were wounded in two separate airstrikes on Makale, the capital. The Tigrayan separatists have accused Addis Ababa of carrying out the violence while the Ethiopian government assured that it is "committed" to the African Union (AU) peace talks.

Tigrayan fighters claimed that this is the second round of Ethiopian drone attacks on Makale in two days following the one that hit Makale University on Tuesday, hurting people and damaging buildings.

On Sunday, the rebel authorities said they were ready for peace talks under the guidance of the AU. They made it clear that they were ready for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the international community urged the belligerents to seize this opportunity for peace.

Kindeya Gebrehiwot, a spokesman for the rebel authorities from the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), tweeted that the regime in Addis Abeba continues to oppose any peaceful solution through shows of force and air raids. The Ethiopian government has always been vociferous in its claims of aiming only at military areas and accuses the TPLF of staging civilian deaths.

Addis Ababa said it hoped that the European Union would support the efforts aimed at bringing a peaceful end to the conflict following a meeting between its Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Demeke Mekonnen, and a European diplomat.

The European Union expressed concern that the recent drone strikes were endangering the hope for peace. "Peace talks are the only way forward," the European External Action Service said in a statement, calling on both sides to seize the opportunity to try to stop the war.

The United Nations has said the conflict caused the displacement of over two million people and led thousands of Ethiopians close to famine. It began in November 2020 when Ethiopian Prime Minister and Nobel Peace Prize winner Abiy Ahmed sent the federal army to Tigray to dislodge rebel authorities after accusing them of attacking military bases. After getting beaten, the rebels regained control in 2021, during a counter-offensive that spilled over into Amhara and Afar. Then they retreated towards Tigray.