Sharjah24 - AFP: To bring a peaceful end to the terrible two-year war in the nation, negotiators from the Ethiopian government and the Tigrayan rebel authority were getting set for peace talks on Monday in South Africa.

Following a recent uptick in hostilities in Ethiopia's north that alarmed the international world, the African Union-led consultations have been set to begin on Monday.

Late on Sunday, Kindeya Gebrehiwot, a spokesman for the rebel authorities in Tigray, tweeted about the delegation's arrival in South Africa.

"Pressing for a quick end to hostilities, unhindered humanitarian access, and an eritrean force pullout. The answer cannot involve the use of force!" he added

The government of Ethiopia regards the negotiations as a chance to peacefully resolve the dispute, Addis Ababa said in a statement after announcing that its delegation had left for South Africa on Monday morning.

However, it also stated, without naming them, that its soldiers "had continued taking control of major urban centers in the past several days."

The Eritrean army has returned to action in support of Ethiopian soldiers and their allies in the region since fighting restarted in August, breaking a five-month cease-fire.

Last week, as Ethiopian and Eritrean military captured towns in the war-torn region, forcing inhabitants to flee, the government threatened to wrest control of airports and other federal institutions in Tigray from the rebels.

The United States estimates that as many as 500,000 people have died and that millions more require humanitarian help as a result of the fighting in the second-most populated country in Africa.