NAIROBI (Somaliguardian) – Ethiopia’s Tigray region demanded full withdrawal of troops from neighboring Eritrea and Amhara state before it could begin talks with the federal government about a ceasefire.
“Invading forces from Amhara and Eritrea must withdraw from Tigray and return to their pre-war territories,” Tigray government said in a statement on Sunday.
It came after leaders of the region ousted in a military offensive launched by allied Ethiopian and Eritrean forces last year had returned to the regional capital, Mekelle on Monday to cheering crowds.
Ethiopia’s federal government declared ceasefire after its troops had been driven out from the regional capital, though a spokesman for Tigray leadership Getachew Reda described the move as a “joke”.
Getachew said on Sunday the region would accept a ceasefire if there were ironclad guarantees of no further invasions and a number of other conditions would need to be met before engaging in negotiations over a truce.
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