The Eritrean troops have been assisting the Ethiopian government forces in combat with the TPLF. Now, the Eritrean troops have started to abandon the cities of Shire and Adwa on Ethiopia's northern border with Eritrea, a source that wished to remain anonymous told Bloomberg.
The spokesperson for Ethiopia's government, Selamawit Kassa, refused to comment, and the Eritrean authorities also remained silent on the topic, according to the media. A representative of Tigray rebels said they could not confirm the full withdrawal of Eritrea from the region.
In early November, the Ethiopian government and the Tigray rebels signed a ceasefire agreement. The agreement provides for the disarmament of the TPLF forces within a few weeks. The restoration of the Internet connection and telecommunications in the region, the resumption of banks’ operations and humanitarian aid supplies were discussed during the talks among other issues.
Ethiopia has been struggling with a violent internal conflict since November 2020, when the central government accused the TPLF of attacking its military base and launched an anti-terrorist operation in the region. In June 2021, the rebels seized the city of Mek'ele, the administrative regional center, and the government declared an unconditional ceasefire. However, the rebels launched a new offensive soon after and took control of the southern part of Tigray and the neighboring Amhara region.
A new truce was reached in March 2022, when the Ethiopian authorities announced the introduction of an indefinite humanitarian truce for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Tigray. After a five-month pause, hostilities resumed in August. The conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives, displaced millions of people, and caused a dire humanitarian crisis in the country.