Rebels in Tigray on Monday announced that they were withdrawing from several areas of northern Ethiopia and retreating to Tigray, marking a new turning point in the 13-month war which has left thousands of people dead.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, a spokesman for the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, Getachew Reda while announcing a pullout from the regions of Amhara and Afar said; ‘We decided to withdraw from these areas to Tigray. We want to open the door to humanitarian aid’.
According to Getachew, the decision was made a few weeks ago while also adding that TPLF fighters were carrying out ‘phase-by-phase withdrawals’ from various towns, including the UNESCO World Heritage site of Lalibela, which has changed hands several times during the conflict.
The move actually signifies a major reversal by the rebels, who previously dismissed the government’s insistence on their withdrawal from Afar and Amhara for talks to begin as ‘an absolute non-starter’.
Read Also: Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed Joins Combat Against Tigray Forces
The conflict between forces loyal to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the TPLF has triggered a severe humanitarian crisis and prompted the UN’s top rights body to order an international probe into alleged abuses.
Africa Today News, New York recalls that right from late October, the two sides have each declared major territorial advances, with the TPLF at one point claiming to be around 200 kilometres (125 miles) of the capital Addis Ababa by road.
Abiy, a former lieutenant colonel in the military, headed to the front last month, according to state media, and the government has since claimed to have retaken several key towns.
Communications have been cut in the conflict zone and access for journalists is restricted, making it difficult to verify battlefield claims.
The fighting has sparked alarm among the international community, as diplomatic efforts led by the African Union to try to reach a ceasefire failed to yield any visible breakthrough.
Prior to Monday’s announcement, TPLF leaders had refused to pull out of Amhara and Afar, unless the government ended what the rebels describe as a humanitarian ‘siege’ of Tigray.
Aid workers have repeatedly complained that security and bureaucratic hurdles are impeding access to the region, where some 400,000 people are thought to be on the verge of famine.
The UN also suspended humanitarian flights from Addis Ababa to Tigray’s capital Mekele in October amid a campaign of government air strikes in the region. The flights resumed in November.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK