UAE approves ceasefire in Tigray, Ethiopia as TPLF takes control of Mekelle
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – United Arab Emirates [UAE] approved the ceasefire in the Tigray region, which was first announced Monday after months of war that left thousands dead and nearly 2 million displaced from their homes in the northern region of Ethiopia.
Ethiopian National Defense Forces [ENDF] withdrew from Tigray’s capital Mekelle on Monday, with the federal government saying the measure had been taken to allow negotiations between the Addis Ababa authorities and the “rebels”.
In a statement released by the Foreign Ministry, the UAE said the issue should be given priority, adding that a political solution was important. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Tigray [TPLF] fighting ENDF and Eritrean troops in the region.
“The United Arab Emirates welcomed the declaration of a ceasefire in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, stressing that a political solution is the only way to end the conflict in the country,” the Arab Emirates said. united in the press release.
In the statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said the decision is an “important step to achieve a political settlement and the aspirations of the Ethiopian people” to build a future that meets their aspirations for peace and to prosperity.
The statement added that constructive dialogue within the framework of state institutions as well as the rule of law and the constitution is the only way to bring lasting peace and stability to the country.
While the Tigray Defense Forces [TDF] maintains it succeeded in driving federal troops out of the capital, Addis Ababa criticized the reports, arguing that the withdrawal was not informed by any duress.
They followed recent reports of escalating fighting between government troops and the former ruling Tigray party, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Tigray. [TPLF] outside of Mekelle.
“The capital of Tigray, Mekelle, is under our control,” Getachew Reda, a TPLF spokesperson, told Reuters by satellite on Monday evening.
The Ethiopian government has said it is declaring a ceasefire following a request from the interim Tigray regional administration, which Addis Ababa appointed after ousting TPLF forces.
“This unilateral ceasefire declaration begins from today, June 28, 2021, and will last until the end of the agricultural season,” the federal government said in a statement Monday evening. The main planting season in Ethiopia lasts from May to September.
“Until all of our enemies leave Tigray, we will fight,” Liya Kassa, another spokesperson for the TPLF, said in an audio statement posted Monday evening on the party-affiliated Tigrai Media House Facebook page. .
Eritrea to the north and neighboring Amhara region to the south both sent troops to Tigray to support Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government after accusing the TPLF of attacking military bases in the region in early November.
The Ethiopian prime minister’s spokesman and the army spokesman did not respond to phone calls and messages seeking comment. The TPLF could not immediately be reached for comment on the ceasefire.
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