G7 urges ‘swift’ Eritrean troop withdrawal from Tigray

The call for ‘unconditional and verifiable’ military pullback comes as the International Crisis Group warns of prolonged deadlock in Tigray.

The G7 group of leading nations on Friday called for the “swift” withdrawal of Eritrean troops from Ethiopia’s conflict-hit northern Tigray region, as the International Crisis Group (ICG) warned of a prolonged deadlock. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced last week that Eritrean forces would leave the region, just three days after finally acknowledging their presence amid mounting reports of massacres and widespread sexual violence there. Addis Ababa and Asmara had previously long denied Eritreans were active in Tigray at all, contradicting testimony from residents, rights groups, aid workers, diplomats and even some Ethiopian civilian and military officials.