The Ethiopian Federal Police has announced its deployment in the Tigray region capital Mekelle to «protect institutions» as part of the talks process between the government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) following their agreement in November for a cessation of hostilities.
The agency has indicated in a statement on its Facebook social network account that «the Ethiopian Federal Police has entered Mekelle to protect the institutions managed by the Federal Government, in line with the Ethiopian Constitution.»
It has also highlighted that, following the agreement signed in November in South Africa, the Ethiopian Police «announced that it would ensure the security of airports, electricity and telecommunication services, banks and other institutions serving the people of the Tigray region».
The deployment was confirmed by Billene Seyoum, spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s office, Abiy Ahmed, who stressed in a brief message on his account on the social network Twitter that the officers «will protect federal properties, according to the constitutional mandate assigned to the security agency».
The announcement came days after a visit to Mekelle by an official Ethiopian delegation, the first since the signing of the cessation of hostilities agreement. The government and the TPLF recently agreed on the creation of a ceasefire monitoring team, as part of the steps for the implementation of the agreement, mediated by the African Union (AU).
On the other hand, witnesses quoted by Bloomberg news agency have indicated that the Eritrean Army has begun its withdrawal from the Tigray region. They noted that during the last 48 hours several military trucks have left Shire and Adwa, near the border, as part of this withdrawal.
The Ethiopian and Eritrean authorities have declined to comment on this possible beginning of the withdrawal of Eritrean troops, while the TPLF has said that it cannot confirm that the military of the neighboring country – which has supported the Ethiopian troops in the fighting – have left Tigray.
The TPLF recently stated that it would proceed with its disarmament once the withdrawal of Eritrean military personnel, accused of abuses and human rights violations in the context of the conflict, is completed. The disarmament of the Tigrayan group is one of the key points of the peace agreement.
The conflict in Tigray erupted in November 2020 following an attack by the TPLF on the main army base in Mekelle, after which the Abiy government ordered an offensive against the group. The outbreak of fighting followed months of political and administrative tensions, including the TPLF’s refusal to recognize an electoral postponement and its decision to hold regional elections outside Addis Ababa.
The TPLF accuses Abiy of whipping up tensions since coming to power in April 2018, when he became the first Oromo to accede to office. Until then, the TPLF had been the dominant force within Ethiopia’s ruling coalition since 1991, the ethnically-supported Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). The group opposed Abiy’s reforms, which it saw as an attempt to undermine its influence.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)