Ethiopian/Tigray War: How We Ended Conflict The African Way- Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says the problem facing the continent can be resolved by its people without external influence.

The former Nigerian leader made the admonition when students from Ethiopia and Tigray paid him a courtesy visit, at his Abeokuta, Ogun state home to thank him for the role he played in ending the war in their country.

Over 600, 000 people were killed from both sides after the Tigray Peoples’ Liberation Front, TPLF, took up arms against the Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed-led government in the two year bloody war.

The war has been described as one of the deadliest in the 21st century by pundits.

The students under the aegis of All-African Students Union, AASU, led by Osisiogu Osikenyi said they came to thank Obasanjo for the role he played in ending the bloody war.

Speaking, Obasanjo said the Ethiopian/ Tigray war was an example of how Africans can resolve their problems in their own way.

According to him, what was achieved in Ethiopia “is what you and I will regard as finding African solution to African problem.”

He explained that no conflict in the continent is too big for its leaders to resolve, adding that this is the desire of Africans founding fathers from independence.

Obasanjo said, “It is a great lesson for us to know that yes, whatever may be our problem – political, economic, social in Africa, we can solve them if we go about seeking solutions rightly.

“What is very important and which I want you to take very very seriously is that what we were able to achieve in Tigray, the peace that we were able to achieve in Tigray between TPLF and the Federal government of Ethiopia is what you and I will regard as finding African solution to African problem. And this is what our leaders have been clamouring for even from independence in the early 1960s.

“No problem in Africa is too great for us to solve where there may be problem of peace, problem of insecurity, problem of youths unemployment, youths lack empowerment, youths lack acquisition of skills, youths frustration and of course general bad governance.