Ethiopian rebel forces withdraw from Tigray regional capital

A pro-government soldier standing guard on a street in Ethiopia's Tigray region on Sunday Rebel forces in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region have said they have temporarily withdrawn from the regional capital, Mekelle, as fighting with the national army moves towards the city.

Fighting has erupted in recent weeks between the TPLF and federal government forces, alongside allied fighters, in parts of Ethiopia's northern regions of Tigray, Afar, and Amhara.

The civil warwas one of the most deadly conflicts this century - the AU's mediator estimated some 600,000 people died as the fighting drove the region to the precipice of famine.