Kenya on Tigray, Ethiopia: A3+1 Media Stakeout

Speaking on behalf of the A3+1 (Kenya, Niger, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Tunisia) as the A3's coordinator for that period, Martin Kimani delivered remarks to the press on the crisis in Tigray, Ethiopia, following a Security Council briefing on the Peace and Security Agenda. A summary of the stakeout's content, based on the recording:

Condemnation of violence and the humanitarian crisis. Kimani expressed outrage over sexual violence against women and girls in Tigray and condemned the targeting of unarmed civilians, citing the destruction of the bridge over the Tekeze River connecting Shire and Gondar and the June 25 killing of three Doctors Without Borders staff members as evidence of a "callous attitude to the needs of civilians." He called on all parties to respect international law, humanitarian principles, and African moral codes.

Ceasefire and withdrawal of forces. He welcomed Ethiopia's unilateral humanitarian ceasefire as an opportunity for peace, called on all other armed parties to cease hostilities immediately, and explicitly demanded the withdrawal of non-Ethiopian forces from Tigray and the stand-down of militias from neighboring federal states — framing a comprehensive ceasefire as essential to the African Union's Agenda 2063 goal of "silencing the guns."

Humanitarian aid. While acknowledging the Ethiopian government's resourcing of much of the humanitarian response, he urged the international community to scale up assistance rapidly and called on all parties to remove impediments to aid delivery.

Elections and national reconciliation. He noted the African Union's election observer mission had found Ethiopia's recent elections "orderly peaceful and credible," and expressed hope they would ground a national conversation on peace, cohesion, development, and diversity.

African solutions and accountability. He invoked "African solutions to African challenges" as a governing principle, and commended the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights for launching a commission of inquiry into the events in Tigray on June 17.

Diplomatic sequencing and sovereignty. He set out an explicit order of operations — ceasefire, humanitarian delivery, dialogue, reconciliation, and accountability — while reaffirming the group's respect for Ethiopia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Q&A. Asked whether the Council should take further action if the violence continued, Kimani said the A3+1 had not yet decided, and that Kenya's focus remained on encouraging Ethiopia to use its own national processes and regional goodwill rather than pushing immediate punitive UN action. Asked what the "end game" of reconciliation would look like, he pointed to Africa's history of resolving comparable crises through dialogue and national reconciliation as the path being urged on Ethiopia.