THE chair of the African Union called for an immediate ceasefire in Ethiopia's Tigray region and urged parties in the two-year-old conflict there to agree to direct peace talks. Moussa Faki said he was following reports of escalating violence in Tigray with grave concern. "The chairperson strongly calls for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire and the resumption of humanitarian services," the AU said in a statement. AU-led peace talks proposed earlier this month were delayed for logistical reasons. Getachew Reda, a spokesperson for the Tigray forces, called the AU statement welcome if overdue "in light of the extremely alarming humanitarian crisis unfolding as…