Eritrean troops to leave soon - Ethiopia's UN envoy

Eritrean troops who have been fighting in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray will leave “soon”, Ethiopia’s ambassador to the UN has said.

Taye Atske Sellasie Made said it was a “matter of sorting out some technical and procedural issues” regarding when they could leave, the Reuters news agency reported.

The ambassador said there was commitment from the Ethiopian government "and the Eritreans are very clear as well", the AP news agency quoted him as saying.

He spoke after a UN Security Council meeting in which outgoing UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock said “no one should be surprised to see a rerun” of the 1984 devastating famine if violence does not stop and the Eritrean troops do not withdraw.

Last week, the UN aid chief said there was famine in northern Ethiopia after the release of a UN-backed analysis of the situation.

The Ethiopian government has denied that there is a famine in the country.

Tigray has been devastated by a humanitarian crisis since fighting began in November 2020 between government forces and rebels.

Thousands of people are thought to have been killed and about 1.7 million people displaced from their homes

The seven-month-old conflict in Tigray has seen all those involved, including Eritrean soldiers, accused of gross rights violations such as rape and extrajudicial killings.

This article was originally published by BBC News. [Photo: Getty Images]