Tigray official urges rebels to disarm

What the report says

An official in Tigray’s new federally backed administration has called on rebel fighters to disarm, following a fresh round of tensions in northern Ethiopia. The appeal, reported by Al Jazeera on Friday, came after a rebel commander said his side would keep fighting government-allied forces even after losing control of Mekelle, the regional capital.

According to the report, fighters from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front withdrew from Mekelle in early October after government-allied forces entered the city. Ethiopia’s government then installed a six-month caretaker administration in Tigray, saying it would restore services, help displaced people return and prepare for elections. Despite that, residents have continued to report violence in the region, including a drone strike in Mekelle on Tuesday that witnesses said killed four people and injured six. The casualties were not independently confirmed.

Redae Halefom Woldeselassie, a senior figure in the interim administration, said rebel forces were weakening and urged them to return home and resume civilian life. Hours earlier, Lt. Gen. Fisseha Kidanu, identified in a broadcast as commander of the Tigray army, said resistance should continue and called on local militias and volunteers to join the fight. He also urged attacks on government positions, while Al Jazeera said it could not verify battlefield claims from either side.

The latest confrontation underscores the fragility of the November 2022 Pretoria peace agreement, which ended Tigray’s devastating 2020-2022 war. Analysts and researchers have long said that conflict caused massive civilian suffering, including deaths linked to violence, famine and the collapse of health services.