The Ethiopian army and its allies have made significant advances in recent weeks, retaking key towns and cities in the neighboring Amhara and Afar regions that were captured by Tigrayan fighters earlier this year and forcing the Tigrayan forces to retreat into their own territory.
To this, Legisi said, “The operation of the first stage to expel the terrorist group from the areas it occupied ended with victory. At this moment, the enemy’s desire and ability to engage in war were severely destroyed.”
He added, “The government intends to take further steps to ensure that the desire of the Tigrayan forces does not appear again in the future. At the moment, it is ordering the Ethiopian forces to maintain the areas they control.”
The announcement by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government that its soldiers will not pursue the Tigrayan forces in its territory may be an opening that encourages a ceasefire and negotiations to resolve the conflict.
Earlier this week, the leader of the Tigrayan forces said that his fighters had been ordered to withdraw into the province.
“I have ordered those units of the Tigray Army that are outside the Tigray border to withdraw to the Tigray border at once,” Debretsion Gebrechael said in a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
He also proposed creating a no-fly zone over Tigray to prevent air attacks on the territory, and imposing an international arms embargo on Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Tens of thousands of people were killed in the Tigray conflict that erupted in November 2020 between Ethiopian forces and Tigray fighters who dominated the national government before Abiy became prime minister in 2018.
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