Tigray Says Its Forces Are Withdrawing from Front Lines

Commanders of the Tigrayan armed combatants say their fighters have started withdrawing from different front lines in accordance with the peace deal reached between the the federal government of Ethiopia and the Tigray authorities, Addis Standard reports. A Tigrayan People's Liberation Front statement said fighters had left the Maykenetal, Zalambessa, Nebelet, Chercher, Kukufto, Hgumbirda, Beri Teklay and Abergele fronts.

The announcement came after a joint committee consisting of military leaders from the federal government and Tigray armed combatants met in Shire, in the northwestern zone of the Tigray, "to outline the detailed plan for the disarmament of Tigray combatants."

The Ethiopian government and Tigrayan regional forces agreed to cease hostilities on November 2, two years into a war that had killed thousands, displaced more than 2 million and led to a widespread famine.

Earlier, the Chief Commissioner of the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission (ENDC), professor Mesfen Araya, told journalists that the dialogue would be conducted in the coming five to six months - but only those who are willing to put down their guns will participate. 

This follows the Oromia regional state also ruling out the possibility of having peace negotiations with the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), to end the war in Oromia. The regional government called on Oromo youth who joined to fight alongside the rebel group known by the government as 'OLF/Shene' to "return back to peace."

The Ethiopian House of Peoples' Representatives approved the establishment of the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission on December 29, 2021 - in a bid to "pave the way for national consensus and keep the integrity of the country".