An official within Tigray’s newly established, federally backed administration has formally urged rebel combatants to lay down their arms across the northern Ethiopian region. This appeal materialized merely hours after a prominent insurgent commander instructed his fighters to press on with armed resistance against government-allied forces, notwithstanding the strategic loss of Mekelle, the regional capital.

Fighters belonging to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) were previously compelled to withdraw from Mekelle in early October as government-aligned units moved in to suppress a renewed uprising. In response, authorities in Addis Ababa installed a six-month caretaker administration tasked with restoring essential services, facilitating the return of displaced populations, and preparing for future elections. Despite these official assurances, sporadic combat persists, with local reports indicating civilian casualties from drone strikes, though independent verification remains elusive.

Redae Halefom Woldeselassie, a senior figure within the caretaker administration, asserted that the rebel ranks are purportedly collapsing and implored combatants to abandon the insurgency and resume civilian routines. Conversely, Lieutenant General Fisseha Kidanu, identified as a commander of the Tigray armed factions, publicly vowed to reverse recent military setbacks, urging local militias and volunteers to actively engage government positions despite being outmatched by heavy weaponry and aerial drones.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has fiercely criticized the TPLF leadership, alleging they are forcibly conscripting young individuals rather than adhering to the disarmament terms stipulated in the November 2022 Pretoria peace accord. The resurgence of hostilities has severely undermined the fragile agreement, threatening to reignite a devastating conflict that previously claimed hundreds of thousands of civilian lives through violence, famine, and systemic collapse.

Source: www.aljazeera.com