Ethiopian Army Claims 70% Control of Tigray Region as Disarmament Talks Continue
Members of the Ethiopian army patrol. (File)
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Ethiopian army controls over 70% of the territory of the northern region of Tigray, where an uprising of local militia has led to a series of violent clashes with government forces since 2020, Redwan Hussien, the national security adviser to Ethiopia’s prime minister, said on Friday.”70% of Tigray is under ENDF [Ethiopian national defense forces]. Aid is flowing like no other times. Even to the areas not yet held by ENDF,” Hussein wrote on Twitter.The rebellious Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) has refuted Hussien’s statement on Addis Adaba’s territorial gains as baseless.On November 2, the Ethiopian government and the Tigray rebels announced a deal to permanently cease hostilities, setting up the prospect of an end to a conflict that has left tens of thousands dead and millions more displaced.On Monday, official negotiations kicked off in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, as the parties started to discuss the implementation of a previously signed ceasefire agreement and work out ways to ensure disarmament.The conflict between Addis Adaba and Tigray started in November 2020, when the Ethiopian government accused the TPLF of attacking its military base and launched what it called a counterterrorist operation in the region.In June 2021, the TPLF seized the city of Mekelle — Tigray’s administrative regional center — after fighting the government, and the latter declared an unconditional ceasefire. However, the TPLF soon launched a new offensive and took control of the southern part of Tigray and the neighboring Amhara region.
