Many Tigray fighters have pulled back, force chief says
The head of the Tigrayan forces in northern Ethiopia says 65% of his fighters have disengaged from the battlefront.
This comes a month after a ceasefire agreement was signed with the federal government.
The two sides had been fighting in the north of Ethiopia since November 2020 in a civil war that has left tens of thousands dead and and a humanitarian disaster in its wake.
Tadesse Worede, chief of staff of Tigray’s forces, said they were moving to designated places.
Mr Tadesse said his troops would not all disengage because of what he called an ongoing threat from forces that didn’t want peace. This was a reference to Eritrea’s army which is still in Tigray and to militias from neighbouring regions including Amhara.
Despite signing an agreement to disarm, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front has said it won’t give up its weapons unless these forces withdraw from Tigray.
In recent days aid workers have reported that Eritrean troops and allied militias have continued to kill and abuse civilians in Tigray.
By BBC
