The Eritrean military is leaving major cities in the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia.
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Eritrean troops supported Ethiopian government forces against rebels from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
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“In the past 48 hours, troops have been seen moving out on trucks from the Ethiopian towns of Shir and Adwa near the northern border with Eritrea,” the sources said.
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Ethiopian government spokesman Selamawit Kassa declined to comment. In turn, a representative of the Tigray authorities told the agency that he could not confirm the complete withdrawal of Eritrean troops from the territory of the region.
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In early November, an agreement was signed between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray rebels to cease hostilities. The agreement provides for the disarmament of the Tigray forces within a few weeks. Other issues that were discussed during the talks included the restoration of the Internet and telecommunications in the region, as well as the resumption of the work of banks and humanitarian aid supplies.
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The conflict in northern Ethiopia erupted in November 2020. Then the country’s authorities accused the TPLF, which dominated the political life of Ethiopia for almost three decades, of attacking a military base and launched an operation in Tigray. In June 2021, the rebels in Tigray took the administrative center of the region, the city of Mekele, the Ethiopian government announced an unconditional ceasefire. However, the rebels later claimed that they launched a new offensive, established control over part of Tigray and invaded the Amhara region. The previous agreement was reached in March 2022, when the Ethiopian authorities announced an indefinite ceasefire for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Tigray. After a five-month truce, fighting resumed in August.
