G7 urges rapid Eritrean withdrawal from Tigray as ‘stalemate’ looms

The G7 group of leading nations yesterday called for the "swift" withdrawal of Eritrean troops from Ethiopia's conflict-hit northern Tigray region, as the International Crisis Group (ICG) warned of a prolonged stalemate.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced last week that Eritrean forces would leave the region, just three days after finally acknowledging their presence amid mounting reports of massacres and widespread sexual violence. 

"We welcome the recent announcement from (Ethiopian) Prime Minister Abiy that Eritrean forces will withdraw from Tigray," the G7 foreign ministers said in a statement released in Berlin.

"This process must be swift, unconditional and verifiable."

Abiy, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, sent troops into Tigray in November to detain and disarm leaders of the once-dominant regional ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).

He said the move came in response to TPLF-orchestrated attacks on federal army camps.

Abiy declared victory within weeks, but combat has continued recently in central and southern Tigray, conflict-prevention group ICG said yesterday in a briefing published nearly five months after the first shots were fired.

Addis Ababa and Asmara long denied Eritreans were active in Tigray at all, contradicting testimony from residents, rights groups, aid workers, diplomats and even some Ethiopian civilian and military officials.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) have accused Eritrean troops of massacring hundreds of people in the Tigrayan town of Axum in November.

AFP has separately documented a massacre allegedly carried out by Eritrean troops in the town of Dengolat, also in November.

Tigray's interim leader, Mulu Nega, told AFP this week that withdrawal was "a process" and would not happen immediately.

Residents of several Tigrayan cities and towns told AFP this week that Eritreans appeared to have actually ramped up their presence in some areas.

At least four truckloads of Eritrean soldiers have arrived in the town of Edaga Hamus since last weekend, said one resident who asked not to be named for safety reasons.