The Ethiopian government said that a large number of members of the Tigray rebel forces and the local forces of the region began to surrender before the expiration of a deadline after which the government said it would launch an attack on the provincial capital.
A large number of Tigrayan militia and local forces surrender, taking advantage of the 72-hour deadline set by the government.
“Many have surrendered across the Afar region and the remaining forces are quietly surrendering,” a government taskforce said.
There was no immediate response from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, which earlier said it had destroyed an important military contingent of federal forces.
This comes despite the announcement of the leader of the Tigrayan region that his people “ready to die” in response to the deadline set by the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and according to which Tigray leaders were granted 72 hours to surrender.
In a statement addressing the leaders of the Tigrayan Liberation Front, Abiy Ahmed gave the rebels 72 hours to lay down their arms, saying that this was their “last chance.”
On the other hand, Radwan Hussein, a spokesman for the Ethiopian government, said that the federal forces have cordoned off the capital of Tigray region, about 50 km, as part of an operation to overthrow the Popular Front for the Liberation of Tigray.
Hussein said, in a text message, that Tigray forces launched missiles yesterday at Bahr Dar, capital of the neighboring Amhara region, whose authorities support the federal forces’ attack.
