Eritrean troops to withdraw from Ethiopia's Tigray

Addis Ababa, March 26 Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Friday said Eritrea has agreed to withdraw its forces, days after he confirmed the presence of the neighbouring nation's troops in the conflict-ridden Tigray region for the first time.

In a statement, Ahmed said he discussed the matter with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki during a visit to the capital Asmara, reports dpa news agency.

Eritrea agreed to withdraw forces and Ethiopia's military will take over guarding the border areas immediately, Abiy said.

Ethiopia launched a military offensivein November 2020 to diminish the power of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which rules the region and has been critical of the central government.

The government declared the conflict over in early December 2020, although both the UN and US say there continue to be reports of ongoing clashes among the parties.

More than four months of fighting has left thousands dead and displaced hundreds of thousands.

According to Ethiopian government figures, the conflict has displaced around 2.2 million people, while 4.5 million people are in need of emergency aid.

The Ethiopian government has recently allowed humanitarian access to Tigray, stressing that all entities operating in the state should abide by the laws of the land.

( With inputs from IANS )