ANCIP

Dimpho Deleglise executed her first field study expedition to Addis Ababa from May 16 to June 16, 2023, to investigate the practical implementation and institutional embedding of the African Union’s diplomatic engagement in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, via its High-Level Panel of three Special envoys.   The AU High-Level Panel’s effort resulted in the signature of a Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA) in Pretoria, South Africa, between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), bringing an end to a two-year civil conflict in the Tigray region. This came after months of back-channel discussions and closed-door negotiations, which were facilitated by the AU Commission’s Department of Political Affairs, Peace, and Security (PAPS).   She interviewed  PAPS personnel who supported the AU Panel’s work in Ethiopia, as well as those that have provided mediation assistance to other AU Special envoys in other countries and regions, to gain a better understanding of how the AU’s diplomatic interventions typically proceed. 

Because Addis Ababa is also Africa’s diplomatic capital, she was able to interview officials from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the United States (US), the European Union (EU) Delegations to the AU, and select bilateral missions to gain a better understanding of the politics and practices involved in implementing the Panel’s intervention.  She further profited from meetings with Ethiopian researchers and a meeting with Amani Africa’s Director, Dr Solomon Dersso, to learn more about the AU’s working process and deliberations at the AU’s Peace and Security Council during the conflict.

Dimpho Deleglise wishes to thank all the individuals who supported her research while she was in Addis Ababa.   Special thanks go to the PAPS Commissioner,  H. E Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, for his time and valuable insight into the inner workings of the AU, as well as for granting her unfetted access to his staff, to successfully conclude her mission.