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After months of denial, Ethiopian PM has acknowledged Eritrean forces’ presence in Tigray. Still, pressing questions surround withdrawal promise as calls for accountability in Tigray increase.

By James Jeffrey
2 Apr 2021

The admission by Ethiopia’s prime minister last week that Eritrean troops were fighting in the Tigray conflict, after more than four months of denial despite numerous credible reports about their involvement, indicated international pressure is finally starting to work – but also raised a host of pressing questions.

In January, the European Union suspended budget support for Ethiopia worth $107m until humanitarian agencies were granted access to Ethiopia’s northernmost region. Since February 27, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has made several announcements urging the withdrawal of Eritrean forces, who have been accused of atrocities, including the massacre of civilians and systematic rape. Then in mid-March, Joe Biden sent Senator Chris Coons to meet Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to convey the US president’s “grave concerns” about Tigray, while the United Nations and other organisations have warned of possible war crimes.

Days after first acknowledging that Eritrean troops had entered Tigray, Abiy said in a statement on March 26 that Eritrea had agreed to pull its forces out from the border area.

The announcement, which came on the back of improving access to the northern region for media and humanitarian agencies, was welcomed by Ethiopia’s international partners. However, it did not clear up the mystery of why Abiy held out so long and did not instead admit the involvement of Eritrean troops at the start, when he could have offered a degree of justification, some commentators noted.

For when forces aligned with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), Tigray’s then-ruling p

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[Noble Amhara]

Sarcasm

There is no such thing as Western Tigray, Tigrays crossed Tekeze as Seasonal Workers working for Amhara Welkayt