Ethiopia says Eritrean troops start to pull out from Tigray

NAIROBI (Reuters) – Eritrean forces have started withdrawing from the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry said, following mounting reports that they are responsible for human rights abuses including rape, looting and killings of civilians.

On Friday, the United States, Germany, France and other G7 countries called for a swift, unconditional and verifiable withdrawal of the Eritrean soldiers, followed by a political process acceptable to all Ethiopians.

In a rejoinder issued late on Saturday through the Foreign Ministry, Ethiopia said that the G7 foreign ministers’ statement had not acknowledged key steps taken to address the needs of the region.

“The Eritrean troops who had crossed the border when provoked by the TPLF have now started to evacuate, and the Ethiopian National Defense Force has taken over guarding the national border,” it said in a statement, referring to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.

Electricity and phone connections to Tigray have been down for the past four days, making it difficult to verify any Eritrean withdrawal. Reuters journalists in Tigray last month saw Eritrean soldiers in towns and on main roads, far beyond the border area.

For months, Eritrea and Ethiopia denied the presence of Eritrean troops despite dozens of eyewitness accounts. On March 23, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed acknowledged their presence following rising international pressure. Eritrea has still not acknowledged its soldiers are in Ethiopia.