Ethiopia: Eritrea withdraws its forces from Tigray

Yesterday, my father was in the Eritrean capital Asmara to meet Afwerki. Earlier this week he admitted for the first time that the neighboring country was present with soldiers in Tigray. Eritrea has not officially confirmed this.

It is not clear how many Eritrean military personnel are in Tigray. My father said that Ethiopian soldiers are now seizing their positions.

Criminal League

In his statement, the prime minister also accused the armed Tigrayan Liberation Front, which has ruled Ethiopia for nearly 30 years, of starting the conflict in the region.

In early November, the Ethiopian army invaded Tigray, according to Abe, to end an uprising. In the statement, the “criminal clique” of the TPLF attacked a large Ethiopian army weapons depot on 4 November. Then the TPLF fired missiles at Asmara, Abiy said, after which Eritrea decided to withdraw Tigray.

Since the raid on Tigray, it has not been clear what exactly is happening in the area. The area is almost inaccessible to aid workers and journalists.

International pressure

At the end of last month, the United States, among other countries, pressed Eritrea and Ethiopia to end the conflict. Foreign Minister Blinken said in a statement at the time ‘Very worried’ About atrocities and crimes against humanity. Eritrea said in its response that it would not be with the forces in Tigray.

Blinken’s statement came shortly after the newspaper was published New York times He had reported a classified report to the US government. It stated that the Ethiopian authorities, along with Eritrean militias and soldiers, are systematically guilty of ethnic cleansing. Entire villages are said to have been destroyed and their inhabitants disappeared.