The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) has set the withdrawal of the Amhara and Eritrean forces from Tigray region as precondition to lay down arms.
In a latest briefing, TPLF’s military commander Tadesse Werede said the implementation of the ceasefire has taken ground since the government of Ethiopia and TPLF signed an agreement in Pretoria, South Africa to end the bloody conflict in northern Ethiopia.
Nearly one million people are estimated to have died from both sides since the conflict erupted in November 2020 after the TPLF forces attacked ENDF northern command.
Tadesse said the TPLF would begin disengagement of its forces as the Amhara and Eritrean forces start withdrawing from the Tigray region.
According to the military commander, the Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF) is responsible to make sure that non ENDF forces are leaving the Tigray region.
Tadesse’s briefing comes while TPLF is graduating new recruits who attended a 17- day military training in Bora, Wedisebero, Agbe, Samre and Dengolat, Warkadimo and Maichew areas after a ceasefire agreement was reached.
The government does not comment yet but seemed confused about what to do with the ethnic Amhara people in Welkait Setit Humera and Raya areas. These areas were annexed to Tigray by the TPLF when it came to power in 1991.
Since then. there had been identity questions for well over three decades in the region which the TPLF brutalised. People living in Wolkait and nearby areas regained their identity as Amhara by force when the TPLF started the war in November 2020.
It is anticipated that the government of Ethiopia would face strong resistance from people in Welqaite and Setit Humera as well as Raya areas when trying to disengage their forces from those areas.
Meanwhile, the Dera Amhara Identity Return Committee wrote a letter to United Nations (UN), African Union Commission (AUC) and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) calling them to stop the unfolding killings of ethnic Amhara people by rebel Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) in Dera district.
The call came after the government has faild to bring lasting solution to the killings of ethnic Amhara people in the district which is found Oromia region of cental Ethiopia but highly populated by ethnic Amhara people
The call also came after the government turned deaf ear and blind eyes to the killings of ethnic Amharas in the district byShane forces.
