This may be a turning point after five months of war behind closed doors in the Tigray region.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who had visited Asmara the day before, announced Friday morning that Eritrean forces involved in the conflict would be withdrawn without delay.
These units, whose deployment in the territory of Tigray was until now denied by the authorities of the two countries, are accused of looting and multiple war crimes.
The Eritrean government has not officially confirmed its decision.
But its ambassador to Japan, Estifanos Afewerki, posted on Twitter:
"As of this day, the units of the Eritrean defense forces will hand over all the posts (…) evacuated by the Ethiopian army, after the savage military attack perpetrated by the Tigrayian forces on November 4, 2020".
That day, after several months of an intense power struggle against the Addis Ababa government, the authorities of the Autonomous Region of Tigray crossed the Rubicon, storming several federal army bases.
Abiy Ahmed then ordered the launch of a major offensive to dislodge the Tigray People's Liberation Front (FLPT).
Attacked on several fronts, the Tigrayan forces evacuated the main cities including their capital, Mékélé - not without having fired some rockets towards Asmara.
They have since withdrawn to rural and mountainous areas, and vow to continue the fight until the
"liberation"
of their territory.
Looting, rapes and murders
The involvement of Eritrean troops alongside the federal army quickly became an open secret.
First denounced by members of the Tigrayan diaspora as well as by refugees established in Sudan, it has since been confirmed by humanitarian actors authorized to enter the region at war and then by American diplomats.
These testimonies lead to believe that the Eritrean units, the number of which is not known, played a preponderant role in this conflict.
They are accused of looting, rape and numerous murders of civilians.
The NGO Amnesty International notably published a detailed report on the
"massacre"
perpetrated on November 28 in the holy city of Axum, during which
"several hundred"
Tigrayans were killed in retaliation for an attack carried out by the FLPT. .
The Ethiopian Prime Minister, under strong international pressure, ended up admitting the presence of Eritrean troops and denouncing
“unacceptable”
abuses
.
Since coming to power in the spring of 2018, Abiy Ahmed has ostensibly moved closer to Eritrean President Issayas Afewerki, with whom he signed a historic agreement ending two decades of hostility between the two countries.
The FLPT, which ruled Ethiopia when the two countries fought a deadly war (1998-2000), nevertheless remained the bête noire of the dictator of Asmara.
The announcement of the Eritrean withdrawal, under pressure from the new American administration, has yet to be translated into facts.
If so, it will undoubtedly help to change the situation in Tigray.
But in what sense?
The Addis Ababa government hopes that it will facilitate the acceptance of the interim administration set up at the end of November 2020, after the conquest of Mékélé.
In camps in eastern Sudan, on the contrary, Tigrayan refugees hope that it will allow the FLPT to regain the upper hand and drive out federal troops.