UN and AU back Obasanjo's renewed mediation and urge a return to direct talks in northern Ethiopia
The joint communiqué was issued after the two bodies' Joint Task Force on Peace and Security met in New York on 26 September.

In a joint communiqué issued after their Joint Task Force on Peace and Security met in New York on 26 September, the UN and the AU said they had "reiterated their steadfast support for the renewed efforts" of AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa Olusegun Obasanjo "to resume the direct talks and dialogue between the parties and the implementation of the Permanent Cessation of Hostilities Agreement". The two bodies said they were concerned by recent security incidents and heightened tensions in northern Ethiopia.
The United Nations and the African Union said they support the renewed mediation efforts of the AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa, former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo, and called on the parties in northern Ethiopia to return to direct talks.
The joint communiqué was issued after the 27th consultative meeting of the UN-AU Joint Task Force on Peace and Security, held in New York on 26 September. The two organisations said they "expressed concern over recent security incidents and heightened tensions in northern Ethiopia".
They "reiterated their steadfast support for the renewed efforts of the African Union High Representative for the Horn of Africa, former President Obasanjo, to resume the direct talks and dialogue between the parties and the implementation of the Permanent Cessation of Hostilities Agreement", the communiqué said.
The meeting was attended by the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, and by the UN Under-Secretaries-General Rosemary DiCarlo, Jean-Pierre Lacroix and Atul Khare. The communiqué did not mention Tigray by name.
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