Ethiopia: No Other Security Forces in Tigray Expect Federal, Army Tells Military Attachés, AU Reps and Other Diplomats in Addis

Million Hailesilassie / Deutsche Welle
The regional capital Mekele in Tigray.
27 January 2023
Addis Standard (Addis Ababa)

Addis Abeba — There is no other security force in the Tigray region apart from the Federal Defense Forces, said Major General Teshome Gemmechu Directorate General of Defense Foreign Relations and Military Cooperation of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF).

Major General Teshome said this while briefing Military Attachés for various countries based in Addis Abeba; Representatives of the African Union, Leaders from the Red Cross Society and representatives of other international organizations on the implementation of the peace agreement, according to the ENDF.

The army quoted Major General Teshome as saying that the opportunities created after the signing of the Pretoria peace agreement has made breathing the air of peace possible not only for Ethiopia but also for the countries in the wider region.

He also said there were many encourages steps taken to implement the agreement including visits by government officials, opening up and services in the Tigray region, ENDF said, crediting the government for 78% of daily humanitarian supplies, and asking the international community "to strengthen their support."

Efforts are being made to resolve "minor problems through dialogue in order to implement the peace agreement, the Major General told the participants o the briefing.

It is to be recalled that the African Union Monitoring, Verification and Compliance Mechanism (AU-MVCM) that was officially launched in Mekelle, the capital city of Tigray regional state on Thursday 29 December and appointed Maj. Gen. Stephen Radina of Kenya to lead the team.

The MVCM team has since only confirmed the launch of the disarmament process of Tigrayan combatants and Tigrayan forces' handing over of heavy weapons to the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, which took place on Tuesday 10, January. It has not issued any other statement, especially on the "withdrawal of foreign and non-ENDF forces from the region" which was stipulated to have happened "concurrently" with the "disarmament of heavy weapons," according to the the Executive Declaration on the Modalities for the Implementation of the Pretoria agreement, which was signed in Nairobi on 12 November. AS

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