On Sunday, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced the end of his government’s military offensive on Tigray after Tigrayan forces withdrew from the regional capital, Mekelle.
Debretsion Gebremichael, who leads the Tigray regional state and Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), however, said in a phone interview with the Associated Press a day later that fighting still continues and his forces have made some gains. The Tigrayan leader said the fight is about “self-determination” of the Tigrayan community – which constitutes 7.3 percent of the 108 million Ethiopian population – and it “will continue until the invaders are out”.