The Ethiopian military has begun clearing Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) rebels from the northern regions of Afar and Amhara, the government said on Tuesday. The announcement was made a day after the rebels revealed that they were retreating from the regions to Tigray, raising the possibility of a ceasefire with the government to end the year-long war.
Prime Minister (PM) Abiy Ahmed’s office tweeted on Tuesday that the Ethiopian military and its allies “have made considerable gains in reversing the occupation” of the TPLF in Afar and Amhara. The PMO also noted that soldiers had also completely cleared the North Wollo zone, a TPLF stronghold in Amhara.
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Noting that the TPLF had “caused tremendous destruction of public and private infrastructure” during its occupation, the PMO said that the “liberated areas” will return to normalcy soon. It added that communities “displaced due to TPLF’s violence are slowly returning.”
Moreover, the government dismissed rebel claims that they were retreating voluntarily to “create an opening for peace.” Government spokesperson Billene Seyoum said that the regions were recaptured after intense fighting between the military and the TPLF. “These gains have been made in very heavy battles that have been undertaken over the past weeks,” she said.
The TPLF on Monday claimed that its forces were withdrawing from Afar and Amhara as it wants to end the civil war. “We trust that our bold act of withdrawal will be a decisive opening for peace,” TPLF chairperson Debretsion Gebrimichael said in a letter to the United Nations (UN) on Monday. His letter also calls for the establishment of a no-fly zone over Tigray, an international arms embargo on Ethiopia and Eritrea, and a UN mechanism to verify that the military had withdrawn from Tigray.
However, according to reports, the TPLF had in reality retreated because its forces sustained heavy losses as a result of a targeted air campaign by military using drones and jets over the past few weeks.
Earlier this month, Gebrimichael had accused Turkey, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of providing Abiy’s government with drones and other military aid. His remarks were confirmed by The New York Times (NYT) on Monday, which reported that the gains made by Ethiopian forces on the battlefield were made possible by a “fleet of combat drones” acquired from allies in the Middle East over the past four months. Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones played a huge role in reversing the tide in favour of the government, NYT said. Bayraktar drones are among the most battle-tested unmanned aerial vehicles in the world, having been involved in conflicts in the South Caucasus, Libya, Syria, and Iraq.
I commend @RTErdogan for sustaining a platform that continues to advance and promote mutually beneficial cooperation between Turkey and African countries. This Summit is an important mechanism for development cooperation. pic.twitter.com/gDvtHdvJ00
— Abiy Ahmed Ali 🇪🇹 (@AbiyAhmedAli) December 18, 2021
Furthermore, the report notes that Abiy has been trying to woo Middle Eastern powers to support Ethiopia’s cause. Last week, he attended the third Africa-Turkey summit in Istanbul and met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to “promote mutually beneficial cooperation.” Abiy also met with Erdoğan in August to enlist Turkey’s support for Ethiopia against the TPLF.
Abiy’s forces and the TPLF have been fighting a deadly civil war for over a year. The conflict in Tigray has killed thousands and displaced over two million and has witnessed grave human rights violations, including mass killings, rapes, and deliberate starvation.