The government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has rejected a decision by the Tigray opposition to withdraw from neighboring Afar and Amhara regions.
“We have now completed the withdrawal of our troops from Amhara and Afar regions,” TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda wrote on Twitter.
This unexpected move could pave the way for a ceasefire after 13 months of bitter fighting.
“We are confident that our courageous act of withdrawal will be the beginning of peace,” wrote Debretsion Gebremichael, leader of the TPLF, a political party that controls much of northern Tigray.
But Abiy Ahmed’s spokesman Billene Seyoum rejected the opposition’s announcement, describing it as a cover-up for military defeats.
“The TPLF has suffered huge losses in recent weeks, so they are saying ‘tactical reconsideration’ to cover up their failures,” She said.
“There are still parts of the Amhara region where they are present as well as other outposts that they are trying to provoke.” She added.
Meanwhile, the United States has reacted to Tigray’s decision, with State Department spokesman Ned Price saying that a confirmation of the TPLF’s withdrawal “would be a welcome development.”
“It is something we are calling for and we hope it will open the door to greater diplomacy.”
In a letter to the UN, TPLF leader Debretsion Gebremichael called for a no-fly zone over Tigray, an arms embargo on Ethiopia and its ally Eritrea, and a mechanism to ensure that the UN withdraws all foreign troops and leave Tigray.
