Ethiopia: Tigrayan rebels leave the Afar region

The Awash valley, in the Afar region.

© RFI / Noé Hochet-Bodin

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The Tigrayan rebels of the TPLF have almost entirely withdrawn from the Afar region in the northeast of the country.

They had occupied the northern part of this region since the end of January, pleading self-defense against attacks by the Ethiopian government and its Eritrean ally.

Probable sign of a de-escalation: the TPLF is now leaving this region, in particular in the hope of obtaining humanitarian aid.

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With our correspondent in Addis Ababa,

It is through this Afar region that

is supposed to transit to Tigray and its six million inhabitants.

For several months, it has been almost at a standstill, partly because of the government's refusal to let a large part of the convoys pass, but also because of the military occupation of the Tigrayan rebels in the northern part of the region.

" 

 ," said a Tigrayan spokesman for

on Tuesday 26 April.

But according to Afar sources, it was rather the fighting of the last few days that forced the Tiger rebels to retreat.

In addition, they would have withdrawn mainly from the road where humanitarian convoys transit and would maintain a presence in northern Afar.

Does this withdrawal mean that an agreement has been reached between Addis Ababa and the Tigrayan insurgents?

Not necessarily, given the latest press release from the TPLF.

In a letter to the United Nations, the rebels threatened to use force again if no credible peace process took place in Ethiopia.

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• Ethiopia

• Eritrea