Ethiopia says Eritrean troops have 'started to evacuate' Tigray

Ethiopia has announced that military troops from neighboring Eritrea have “started to evacuate” the conflict-hit Tigray region situated between the two African states.

The G7 group of leading nations had called for their rapid withdrawal.

This comes Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed finally acknowledging their presence amid mounting reports of massacres and widespread sexual violence.

But residents of some Tigray cities and towns continued to report the presence of Eritrean soldiers in recent days.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) have accused Eritrean troops of massacring hundreds of people in the Tigrayan town of Axum in November.

Abiy sent troops into Tigray in November, a move he said came in response to TPLF-orchestrated attacks on federal army camp.