By Ayenat MersieNAIROBI (Reuters) -The Ethiopian government said on Tuesday the army was clearing rebellious Tigrayan forces from the northern Amhara and Afar regions, dismissing Tigrayan statements that their forces were retreating voluntarily to create an "opening for peace". The TPLF, the party that controls the Tigray region in the far north of Ethiopia and is at war with the government, had announced its withdrawal from neighbouring Amhara and Afar on Monday. She said the national armed forces were still in the process of clearing TPLF forces from pockets within the two regions. The TPLF accuses Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of wanting to centralise power at the expense of the regions, which he denies. She said air strikes were conducted only to "neutralise identified terrorist cells and terrorist hideouts".

Source: Ethiopian News December 21, 2021 15:35 UTC