Madar (Addis Ababa) - Redae Halefom Woldeselassie, a senior official in the new caretaker administration of Ethiopia's northern Tigray region, on Friday, October 23, 2026, urged rebel fighters to lay down their weapons and go home, saying the rebels were collapsing and rejecting the idea that they could retake the regional capital Mekelle, Al Jazeera reported, citing the Associated Press.
"This is not the time for settling scores - I call upon you to return to your homes and continue your civilian lives," he said.
The appeal came a day after Lt. Gen. Fisseha Kidanu, identified on television as commander of the Tigray army, vowed on Thursday to reverse recent setbacks and urged attacks on government positions despite their advantage in drones and heavy weapons. "Local militias across the region - alongside all volunteers joining the resistance - are expected to engage the enemy," he said on Tigray Broadcast Media, a new rebel station, from an undisclosed location.
The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) withdrew from Mekelle in early October after government-allied forces entered the city, and Addis Ababa installed a six-month caretaker administration to restore services, help displaced people return and prepare for elections. On Monday, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed accused the TPLF of forcibly recruiting young people instead of disarming under the November 2022 Pretoria peace agreement.
The Pretoria deal ended the 2020-2022 war, which Ghent University researchers estimate caused about 500,000 civilian deaths through violence, famine and collapsed health services, the same source said.
