It was not immediately clear if the Eritrean troops were leaving Tigray entirely or just pulling back from certain towns. Eritrea's Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel told Reuters he could neither confirm nor deny the troops were withdrawing. Getachew Reda, a spokesperson for the Tigrayan forces, and Ethiopian national security advisor Redwan Hussien did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday. Aid workers in Axum and Shire said they saw several trucks and dozens of cars packed with Eritrean soldiers on Thursday leaving toward the border town of Sheraro. Eritrea and Ethiopia fought a border war between 1998 and 2000, when the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which now leads the Tigrayan forces, dominated the federal government.

Source: Ethiopian News December 30, 2022 21:44 UTC