Ethiopia: Eritrean troops started withdrawing from Tigray

The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry stated on Sunday that Eritrean troops had started withdrawing from Ethiopia’s Tigray region in the north.

This comes on the heels of series of repeated accusations against those brutal actions that violate human rights such as rape, looting and killing.

On Friday, the United States, Germany, France and other G7 countries called for a swift, unconditional and verifiable withdrawal of the Eritrean soldiers, followed by a political process that is acceptable to all Ethiopians.

In response, Ethiopia said on Saturday that the G7 foreign ministers’ statement had not acknowledged key steps, being taken to address the needs of the region.

“The Eritrean troops who had crossed the border when provoked by the TPLF have now started to evacuate and the Ethiopian National Defense Force has taken over guarding the national border,” the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Conflicts erupted in Tigray in early November after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) attacked army bases across the region.

In late November, federal troops ousted the TPLF from the capital Mekelle and the Ethiopian government declared victory.

Thousands of people died in the conflict, hundreds of thousands have been forced from their homes and there are shortages of food, water and medicine in the region.