Tigray official urges rebels to disarm

Rebel commandant pledged to proceed warring government-allied forces who seized Ethiopia’s Tigray capital.

An authoritative successful Tigray’s caller federally backed medication has urged rebel forces to laic down their weapons successful the bluish Ethiopian region.

The telephone connected Friday came hours aft a rebel commandant told his fighters to proceed resisting government-backed forces contempt losing power of Mekelle, the Tigray region’s capital.

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Fighters from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) were forced to withdraw from Mekelle successful aboriginal October, aft government-allied fighters entered the metropolis to crush a rebel effort to overthrow Ethiopia’s government.

Ethiopia’s authorities past installed a six-month caretaker administration successful Tigray, promising to reconstruct services, assistance displaced radical instrumentality and hole for elections.

But immoderate warring has continued, with Mekelle residents reporting a drone onslaught that killed 4 radical and injured six others arsenic they loaded goats onto a motortruck connected Tuesday. The casualties could not beryllium independently verified.

Redae Halefom Woldeselassie, a elder authoritative successful Tigray’s caller caretaker administration, said rebel forces were collapsing and urged fighters to laic down their weapons.

“This is not the clip for settling scores – I telephone upon you to instrumentality to your homes and proceed your civilian lives,” helium said successful Mekelle.

He dismissed the imaginable of the rebels retaking the city, maintaining the struggle served a tiny clique of leaders and not the radical of Tigray.

Hours earlier, Lieutenant General Fisseha Kidanu, who was identified successful a tv broadcast arsenic commandant of the Tigray army, pledged to reverse caller subject setbacks, saying Tigray was inactive astatine war.

“Local militias crossed the portion – alongside each volunteers joining the absorption – are expected to prosecute the enemy,” helium said Thursday connected Tigray Broadcast Media, a caller rebel tv station. His determination was not disclosed.

Fisseha urged attacks connected government-held positions contempt his opponents’ advantages successful drones and dense weapons. The TPLF has besides claimed to person inflicted dense losses connected authorities forces. The Associated Press could not independently verify those claims.

Ethiopian Federal Police patrol aft Tigray People’s Liberation Front rebels retreat from Mekelle, Tigray Region, Ethiopia, October 8, 2026 [Reuters]

The government’s allies see the Tigray Peace Force, comprising erstwhile members of the TPLF’s equipped helping – a part wrong Tigrayan forces that has analyzable the renewed conflict.

Redae said Ethiopian troops and allied forces were conducting associated information operations, including measures to forestall looting. He promised preparations for displaced residents to instrumentality but gave nary timetable.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, speaking Monday to the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation, accused the TPLF of forcibly recruiting young radical to combat alternatively of disarming nether the presumption of the November 2022 Pretoria bid agreement.

The renewed warring has efficaciously shattered the agreement, which ended the region’s devastating 2020-2022 war.

That struggle caused an estimated 500,000 civilian deaths done violence, famine and collapsed wellness services, according to researchers astatine Ghent University successful Belgium.