Ethiopia’s Abey makes advance in fight against Tigrayan dissidents

Bloomberg

Ethiopian government forces have made major advances in their fight against Tigrayan dissidents after a 13-month conflict that’s triggered humanitarian and economic crises.
Tigrayan leader Debretsion Gebremichael ordered a strategic retreat by his troops and urged the United Nations Security Council to oversee an end to the civil war. The move, which comes after the national army recaptured several key towns in northern regions bordering on Tigray, raised hopes that an end to hostilities may be in sight, though the government has continued bombing rebel positions.
“I have ordered those units of the Tigray army that are outside the borders of Tigray to withdraw to Tigray with immediate effect,” Debretsion, who heads the Tigrayan Peoples Liberation Front which ruled the region, said in a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. “We trust that our bold act will be a decisive opening for peace.”
The government is facing mounting international pressure to end the conflict, with the UN Human Rights Council setting up a team to investigate possible war crimes and the US and other nations threatening to impose sanctions. So far Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has eschewed negotiations with the TPLF, describing it as a terrorist organisation.
“If we do see a movement of Tigrayan forces back into Tigray, that is something we would welcome,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters. “It’s something we’ve called for. And we hope it opens the door to broader diplomacy.” Abiy is facing domestic pressures too.