Rebels in Ethiopia's Oromia region accused the government on Wednesday of launching a military offensive against them after the first round of peace talks ended without an agreement earlier this month.
The government and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) held negotiations for a week in Zanzibar, Tanzania, to end a decades-long conflict that, in the past few years, has killed hundreds and displaced tens of thousands in Ethiopia's most populated region.
The two sides said at the time that they agreed to continue the talks.
The Oromo Liberation Army said in a statement issued by its supreme leadership that after the end of the first round of talks on May 3, the Ethiopian forces launched a "large-scale attack."
"This step strongly contradicts the agreement that de-escalation should be a priority during the negotiation process," the statement added, accusing the Ethiopian army of forcing farmers to join local militias and supplying food to its forces.
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