Tigray rebels vow to drive out ‘enemies’ despite ceasefire

Rebel group says it ‘will carry out all the tasks necessary to ensure the survival and security’ of its people.

Leaders in Ethiopia’s war-hit Tigray pledged to drive out “enemies” from the region suggesting fighting will continue despite a federal government ceasefire declaration. Tigrayan forces were conducting “mop-up” operations on Tuesday against Ethiopian government forces retreating from the regional capital Mekelle and the city was “100 percent” back under their control. “Twenty-five minutes ago the active engagement in Mekelle was over,” Getachew Reda, spokesman for the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), told Reuters news agency by satellite phone. “Our forces are still in hot pursuit to the south, east.”