Ethiopia says its army will not advance further into Tigray

NAIROBI, Kenya — Ethiopia’s authorities has announced that its forces volition not beforehand deeper into the Tigray region.

Ethiopian forces person been ordered to support the areas they person won backmost from the Tigray People’s Liberation Force, but not to spell further into the Tigray region, the Government Communication Service head, Legesse Tulu, said Thursday.

The Ethiopian national service and its allies person made beardown advances successful caller weeks, recapturing large towns and cities successful the neighboring Amhara and Afar regions that Tigray fighters had seized earlier this year. The Tigray forces person been forced to retreat backmost to their location region.

“The archetypal signifier cognition to expel the violent radical from the areas it invaded has ended with victory. At this infinitesimal the enemy’s tendency and quality (to prosecute successful war) is severely destroyed,” said Legesse.

“The authorities volition instrumentality further steps to marque definite that (the Tigray forces) tendency won’t originate again successful the future. For now, Ethiopian forces are ordered to support the areas it has controlled,” helium said.

The authorities of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s announcement that its soldiers volition not prosecute the Tigray forces into their location portion could beryllium an opening that encourages a cease-fire and negotiations to resoluteness the conflict.

Earlier this week the person of the Tigray forces said its fighters person been ordered to retreat backmost to Tigray.

“I person ordered those units of the Tigray Army that are extracurricular the borders of Tigray to retreat to the borders of Tigray wrong contiguous effect,” Debretsion Gebremichael said successful a missive to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Debretsion projected an contiguous cease-fire to beryllium followed by negotiations.

He besides projected the constitution of a no-fly portion implicit Tigray to forestall aerial attacks implicit the portion and the imposition of an planetary arms embargo connected Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Tens of thousands of radical person been killed successful the Tigray struggle that erupted successful November 2020 betwixt Ethiopian forces and fighters from the country’s Tigray region, who dominated the nationalist authorities earlier Abiy became premier curate successful 2018.

As a effect of a months-long authorities blockade, immoderate of Tigray’s 6 cardinal radical person begun starving to death, according to assistance groups. Thousands of taste Tigrayans person been detained oregon forcibly expelled successful an ambiance stoked by virulent speeches against Tigrayans by immoderate elder Ethiopian officials. Alarmed quality rights groups person warned immoderate of the anti-Tigrayan rhetoric is hatred speech.

Last month, the Ethiopian authorities declared a authorities of exigency arsenic Tigray fighters moved person to the capital, Addis Ababa, and carried retired a fig of abuses against taste Amhara, according to accounts by section residents. The Tigray forces accidental they are warring to assistance the blockade connected their people.

The Ethiopian government’s subject appears to person been strengthened by aerial drones purchased from China, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, said William Davison of the International Crisis Group.

“Tigray forces look to beryllium successful a weakened presumption aft giving up each the areas they controlled,” helium said.