The two sides in Ethiopia’s civil war have begun formal peace talks for the first time since the conflict started nearly two years ago.

The African Union-brokered talks are being held in South Africa, where a spokesperson for the president confirmed the news.

The fighting in and around Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region is thought to have killed thousands.

It has also created a humanitarian emergency in its aftermath.

Soldiers from both sides – the federal government and Tigrayan forces – have also been accused of war crimes and carrying out atrocities.

There are few details of what exactly happening in the negotiations or what is on the agenda.

The AU, along with the UN and US, has been urging the Ethiopian federal government to sit down with its Tigrayan opponents for months.

There were fears that a recent resurgence of heavy warfare could aggravate the already catastrophic situation for civilians.