Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government allegedly opened backchannel “to avoid war and miscalculations,” according to a federal military official. 

The official confirmed to AG the purpose of the back channel mechanism is solely to prevent military escalation during any potential flare ups in the long borders between rebel-held Tigray and the rest of the country. The Ethiopian government source claimed it is merely a “humanitarian back-channel” designed to prevent the pro-war TPLF hardliners from using minor skirmish “as an excuse to restart war” and block the flow of humanitarian aid into Tigray. 

The official did not specify who are the TPLF “moderates” or how the communication hotlines were formed.

The alleged existence of such hotlines to avoid accidental confrontation also suggests how overstretched and loose Abiy’s federal military command has become, as it was increasingly dependent on informal local and regional militias to fight off the invading Tigrayan militia. It is also a recognition that Ethiopia’s multiethnic military, which still includes ethnic Tigrayans in its ranks, is prone to defections and rogue activity.

Critics of Abiy’s government say the recently formed “peace committee” and its willingness to negotiate with the TPLF (that is designated by parliament as “terrorist organization”) is setting a dangerous precedent against the concept of building democracy in Ethiopia. Since the Abiy leadership started “peace talks” with TPLF, dissidents and opposition groups in various parts of Ethiopia now increasingly view armed struggle as a better alternative for leverage than peaceful struggle.