Correspondent Elles van Gelder:
“The withdrawal of the rebels is a major turning point in the conflict, because a few weeks ago they were still several hundred kilometers from the capital Addis Ababa. The government then mobilized troops and received more weapons from countries that support them, such as China, the United Arab Emirates, Iran and Turkey, including drones with which they carry out air strikes. The leader of the TPLF calls in the letter to the UN to stop the drone attacks. In the same letter, he writes that he hopes that the withdrawal of his troops provides an opening to peace.
The question is whether the Ethiopian government will accept the offer because the government army now seems to have the upper hand. And when they sit down at the table, there are major stumbling blocks. A thorny point is the west of Tigray, an area where there is fighting with troops from the state of Amhara who fight on the side of the federal army. Tigray wants to go back to the pre-war borders, but Amhara’s leaders won’t; they claim it is their territory.
Nevertheless, for the first time in a long time there is hope that humanitarian aid can be delivered in regions where there is no longer fighting. Because the situation there is dire. Violence has been committed by all parties involved. Civilians have been imprisoned, raped and looted. The hope is that both sides now see that there is no military solution.”
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