Ethiopia says Eritrean troops have started to withdraw from Tigray

NAIROBI (Reuters) – Eritrean forces have begun to withdraw from the northern Ethiopian Tigray region, the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry said, after increasing reports that they are responsible for human rights abuses, including rape, pillaging and murder of civilians.

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

In a reply issued on Saturday night by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ethiopia said that the statement by the G7 foreign ministers did not recognize the main measures taken to meet the needs of the region.

“Eritrean troops who 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 statement said, referring to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.

Electricity and telephone connections to Tigray have dropped in the past four days, making it difficult to verify any withdrawals from Eritrea. Reuters journalists in Tigray last month saw Eritrean soldiers in major cities and major roads, far beyond the border area.

For months, Eritrea and Ethiopia denied the presence of Eritrean troops, despite dozens of eyewitness reports. On March 23, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed acknowledged his presence after increased international pressure. Eritrea has not yet recognized that its soldiers are in Ethiopia.

Fighting broke out in Tigray in early November, after forces loyal to the ruling party there – the TPLF – attacked army bases across the region. In late November, the TPLF withdrew from the regional capital, Mekelle, and the Ethiopian government declared victory.

Thousands of people have been killed in the conflict, hundreds of thousands have been driven from their homes and there is a shortage of food, water and medicine in the region. The government says most of the fighting has stopped, but there are still isolated cases of shootings.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said this week that there were “reports of clashes and ambushes in most parts of the region”. Last month, a humanitarian aid organization also witnessed the consequences of an ambush on a military convoy and the extrajudicial executions of civilians immediately afterwards on a main road.

Itamaraty informed that full access to the region has already been granted to humanitarian organizations.

OCHA said on its website: “In parts of the south and southeast of Tigray, for example, access has been restricted for more than a month and the road from Alamata to Mekelle remains closed, blocking humanitarian operations in the area.”

The Foreign Ministry said a joint investigation with outside experts on alleged human rights violations would begin shortly and asked donors to send more food and medical aid.