And Tigray TV, the official TV station in Tigray, reported that the process of “demobilizing the defense forces of Tigray is about to start,” and the fighters will be “transferred” to other locations “as of May 26, 2023,” according to the “African Union Monitoring and Verification Mission.” and Compliance” in charge of overseeing the implementation of the agreement concluded in Pretoria on the second of November.
The “Fana BC” television station, which is close to the “Prosperity Party” led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, reported that the “first phase of the program for the reintegration and rehabilitation of former fighters” in Tigray “was officially launched” on Friday in the outskirts of Mekele, the regional capital of Tigray, in the presence of a delegation. African Union for Monitoring, Verification and Compliance.
The station quoted General Derby Mekuria, deputy head of the National Reintegration Commission established by the federal government after the cessation of hostilities, as saying, addressing the fighters: “Seize the opportunity offered by this peace in order to change your lives and participate in the development of the region and Ethiopia as a whole.”
Likewise, the station quoted the representative of the Tigray forces, General Megbe Haile, as saying: “When you complete the reintegration program and reintegrate into society, you should be a force for development and peace.”
What happened?
• On November 2, the regional authorities in Tigray and the Ethiopian federal government in Pretoria signed an agreement that put an end to hostilities, after a two-year war that left hundreds of thousands dead.
• Despite the slow pace of its implementation, the agreement began to be translated into practice. Since its signing, the battles have receded significantly, and the Eritrean forces that intervened to help the Ethiopian army left Tigray, despite reports that they are still deployed in the border areas.
• Tigray forces began handing over their heavy weapons in January, noting that the process of handing over weapons is still underway, although the forces of the neighboring Amhara region, which supported the federal army against the Tigray forces, continue to control the western part of the region.
• The provisions of the disarmament process stipulated that it should coincide with the exit of the Eritrean forces and the forces of the Amhara region from Tigray.
#Ethiopia. #start #demobilization #Tigray #forces