Tigray leader vows group 'will not disarm'

The leader of Ethiopia's rebel Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) has said the group will not negotiate on the disarmament of the "Tigray army" as it prepares for peace talks with the federal government.

The TPLF-run Tigray TV reported that Debretsion Gebremichael made the comments during a briefing to local media.

"We should disarm because the [Ethiopian] constitution stipulates that [regional states] should not have an army. There is nothing like that," he said.

However, Mr Debretsion said that "Western Tigray" should be given back to Tigray as it belongs to the region in accordance with the same constitution.

"According to the constitution, Western Tigray belongs to Tigray. So they [Ethiopian government] should hand it over to Tigray. This benefits the people of Tigray, if at all they hand it over," he said.

The two sides are preparing to hold peace talks to end the civil war that has killed thousands of people and displaced millions since November 2020.

Source: BBC