-Political parties that have been operating within and outside the country met in Addis Ababa today to discuss ways to seek reconciliation and discharge their responsibilities in building democracy in Ethiopia.
The discussion attracted 50 political parties, including six political parties that have returned home recently, academics, representatives of religious institutions and civil society organizations (CSOs), as well as other stakeholders.
Participants discussed on the reforms undertaken by Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed and the gains made so far, which include among others, the removal of OLF, Ginbot 7 and ONLF from terror list, Ethio-Eritrea rapprochement and reconciliation of the two synods of the Ethiopian Orthodox church.
Problems that have long been associated with human and democratic rights in the country have eroded public trust in law enforcement and other democratic institutions as well as resulted in the conflicts happening now in different parts of the country, they said.
These problems should not be left only for the government, they said, adding political parties and the public are also required to take active part in addressing the problems to move forward the reforms in the country.
The political parties also stressed the need to resolve problems and conflicts within themselves and apologize to the people prior to moving towards a national consensus.
Heads of the political parties also blamed leadership for the conflicts in different parts of the country, stating that “they (leadership) are the main causes of the conflicts in their respective areas.”