(../../../../favicon_aje.ico) Tigray rebels urged to disarm as commander vows to fight Ethiopia’s gov’t | Conflict News | Al Jazeera    (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/23/tigray-official-urges-rebels-to-disarm)                                                  (https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml)  (https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2026/10/23/tigray-official-urges-rebels-to-disarm)  (https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/afp_6ac67aaa7fc7-1791392426.jpg?resize=1920%2C1440)     (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org/scripttemplates/otSDKStub.js) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (../../../../static/css/vendor~main~d08ff9cb.24bf1742.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~748942c6.6cd3b839.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~b07b7304.e3bc53a0.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~6e6dca10.b9196be1.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~d92ce3db.c3cbd92c.r2.chunk.css) (https://www.aljazeera.com/static/media/Roboto-Bold.52bb58c8.woff2) (https://www.aljazeera.com/static/media/Roboto-Regular.c5bf51b6.woff2)  (../../../../static/css/vendor~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-blo~5f903362.2e08e417.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-~41c72a2c.6aa6af66.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-~06be7c11.0625e98d.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-blog-container~containers~4f526fb6.74ee3c47.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/common~493df0b3.ec3ab9b5.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/pages/article-page~6e6dca10.b625c9d1.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/common~493df0b3.ec3ab9b5.r2.chunk.css)   Skip links (tigray-official-urges-rebels-to-disarm@traffic_source=rss.html#main-content-area) Skip to Content  (https://www.aljazeera.com/)          (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/live) play    Live    Sign up  Show navigation menu     Navigation menu (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/) News    Show more news sections  (https://www.aljazeera.com/middle-east/) Middle East   (https://www.aljazeera.com/africa/) Africa   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia/) Asia   (https://www.aljazeera.com/us-canada/) US & Canada   (https://www.aljazeera.com/latin-america/) Latin America   (https://www.aljazeera.com/europe/) Europe   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia-pacific/) Asia Pacific      (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/explainer/) Explained   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sports) Sport   (https://www.aljazeera.com/opinion/) Opinion   (https://www.aljazeera.com/videos/) Video   (https://www.aljazeera.com/interactives/) Interactives   More   Show more sections  (https://www.aljazeera.com/aljazeera-originals) Originals   (https://www.aljazeera.com/features/) Features   (https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/) Economy   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/human-rights/) Human Rights   (https://www.aljazeera.com/climate-crisis) Climate Crisis   (https://www.aljazeera.com/investigations/) Investigations   (https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/) In Pictures   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/science-and-technology/) Science & Technology   (https://www.aljazeera.com/audio/podcasts) Podcasts   (https://www.aljazeera.com/travel) Travel   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sponsored/) Sponsored Content        (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/live) play    Live    Click here to search search     Sign up        Navigation menu caret-left    (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/10/20/draft-3) US-Israel war on Iran   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/houthis/) Yemen conflict   (https://www.aljazeera.com/middle-east/) Middle East   (https://www.aljazeera.com/africa/) Africa   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia/) Asia   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia-pacific/) Asia Pacific   (https://www.aljazeera.com/europe/) Europe   (https://www.aljazeera.com/latin-america/) Latin America   (https://www.aljazeera.com/us-canada/) US & Canada     caret-right         (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/) News |(https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/conflict/) Conflict   Tigray rebels urged to disarm as commander vows to fight Ethiopia’s gov’t Rebel commander pledged to continue fighting government-allied forces who seized Ethiopia’s Tigray capital.   Listen   Listen (3 mins)       Save       Share Tigray rebels urged to disarm as commander vows to fight Ethiopia’s gov’t on social media share-nodes    Share (https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2F0mxp9t) facebook      (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Tigray%20rebels%20urged%20to%20disarm%20as%20commander%20vows%20to%20fight%20Ethiopia%E2%80%99s%20gov%E2%80%99t&source=sharethiscom&related=sharethis&via=AJEnglish&url=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2F0mxp9t) x    (whatsapp://send?text=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2F0mxp9t) whatsapp-stroke    (https://aje.news/0mxp9t)  copylink          google       Add Al Jazeera on Google  info      (Members of the Ethiopian pro-government Tigray Peace Force (TPF) gesture as residents welcome them while they ride in a pickup truck during a street patrol after Ethiopian federal and allied forces entered the Tigray capital of Mekelle, on October 4, 2026.)   Toggle Play    Residents recount drone strikes in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region   By  AP   Published On 23 Oct 2026 23 Oct 2026    An official in Tigray’s new federally backed administration has urged rebel forces to lay down their weapons in the northern Ethiopian region. The call on Friday came hours after a rebel commander told his fighters to continue resisting government-backed forces despite losing control of Mekelle, the Tigray region’s capital. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/15/ethiopian-forces-expand-control-in-tigray-as-militia-claims-eritrean-losses) Ethiopian forces expand control in Tigray as militia claims Eritrean losses  list 2 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/16/ethiopia-announces-instalment-of-interim-government-in-tigray) Ethiopia announces instalment of interim government in Tigray  list 3 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/inside-story/2026/10/16/can-diplomacy-resolve-long-standing-ethiopia-eritrea-differences) Can diplomacy resolve longstanding Ethiopia-Eritrea differences?   end of list  Fighters from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) were forced to (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/4/government-forces-seize-capital-of-ethiopias-tigray-region-from-rebels) withdraw from Mekelle in early October, after government-allied fighters entered the city to crush a rebel attempt to overthrow Ethiopia’s government. Ethiopia’s government then installed a (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/16/ethiopia-announces-instalment-of-interim-government-in-tigray) six-month caretaker administration in Tigray, promising to restore services, help displaced people return and prepare for elections. But some fighting has continued, with Mekelle residents reporting a drone strike that killed four people and injured six others as they loaded goats onto a truck on Tuesday. The casualties could not be independently verified. Redae Halefom Woldeselassie, a senior official in Tigray’s new caretaker administration, said rebel forces were collapsing and urged fighters to lay down their weapons. “This is not the time for settling scores – I call upon you to return to your homes and continue your civilian lives,” he said in Mekelle. He dismissed the prospect of the rebels retaking the city, maintaining the conflict served a small clique of leaders and not the people of Tigray. Hours earlier, Lieutenant General Fisseha Kidanu, who was identified in a television broadcast as commander of the Tigray army, pledged to reverse recent military setbacks, saying Tigray was still at war. Advertisement    “Local militias across the region – alongside all volunteers joining the resistance – are expected to engage the enemy,” he said Thursday on Tigray Broadcast Media, a new rebel television station. His location was not disclosed. Fisseha urged attacks on government-held positions despite his opponents’ advantages in drones and heavy weapons. The TPLF has also claimed to have inflicted heavy losses on government forces. The Associated Press could not independently verify those claims. (Members of the Ethiopian Federal Police (EFP) patrol after Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) army retreated from the regional capital near the Tigray Martyrs monument in Mekelle, Tigray Region, Ethiopia, October 8, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. Obtained by REUTERS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)  Ethiopian Federal Police patrol after Tigray People’s Liberation Front rebels withdraw from Mekelle, Tigray Region, Ethiopia, October 8, 2026 [Reuters]  The government’s allies include the Tigray Peace Force, comprising former members of the TPLF’s armed wing – a division within Tigrayan forces that has complicated the renewed conflict. Redae said Ethiopian troops and allied forces were conducting joint security operations, including measures to prevent looting. He promised preparations for displaced residents to return but gave no timetable. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, speaking Monday to the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation, accused the TPLF of forcibly recruiting young people to fight instead of disarming under the terms of the November 2022 Pretoria peace agreement. The renewed fighting has effectively shattered the (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/5/after-pretoria-peace-deal-old-enemies-in-ethiopias-tigray-find-new-ground) agreement , which ended the region’s devastating 2020-2022 war. That conflict caused an estimated 500,000 civilian deaths through violence, famine and collapsed health services, according to researchers at Ghent University in Belgium.            aj-logo             aj-logo             aj-logo       Advertisement          About About   Show more  (https://www.aljazeera.com/about-us) About Us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/code-of-ethics/) Code of Ethics   (https://www.aljazeera.com/terms-and-conditions/) Terms and Conditions   (https://www.aljazeera.com/eu-eea-regulatory/) EU/EEA Regulatory Notice   (https://privacy.aljazeera.net/) Privacy Policy   (https://privacy.aljazeera.net/cookie/) Cookie Policy   (https://www.aljazeera.com/) Cookie Preferences    (https://trust.aljazeera.net/accessibility/) Accessibility Statement   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sitemap) Sitemap   (https://careers.aljazeera.net/) Work for us      Connect Connect   Show more  (https://network.aljazeera.net/en/contact?tid=6) Contact Us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/user-accounts-help) User Accounts Help   (https://commercial.aljazeera.net/) Advertise with us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/stay-connected) Stay Connected   (https://www.aljazeera.com/newsletters) Newsletters   (https://sat.aljazeera.net/en) Channel Finder   (https://www.aljazeera.com/schedule/) TV Schedule   (https://www.aljazeera.com/podcasts/) Podcasts   (https://webapps.aljazeera.net/aje/tips/) Submit a Tip   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sponsored) Paid Partner Content      Our Channels Our Channels   Show more  (http://aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Arabic   (https://www.aljazeera.com/) Al Jazeera English   (https://www.ajiunit.com/) Al Jazeera Investigative Unit   (https://www.aljazeeramubasher.net/) Al Jazeera Mubasher   (http://doc.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Documentary   (http://balkans.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Balkans   (http://ajplus.net/) AJ+      Our Network Our Network   Show more  (http://studies.aljazeera.net/en/) Al Jazeera Centre for Studies   (http://training.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Media Institute   (http://learning.aljazeera.net/) Learn Arabic   (http://liberties.aljazeera.com/en) Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights   (http://forum.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Forum   (https://hotels.aljazeera.net/en) Al Jazeera Hotel Partners        Follow Al Jazeera English: (https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera) facebook       (https://twitter.com/ajenglish) twitter     (https://www.youtube.com/aljazeeraenglish) youtube     (https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/?hl=en) instagram-colored-outline                          (https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml) rss     (https://bsky.app/profile/aljazeera.com) bluesky     (https://www.tiktok.com/@aljazeeraenglish) tiktok-colored-outline                  (Al Jazeera Media Network logo)   © 2026 Al Jazeera Media Network