Three days later Tigray's leader Debretsion Gebremichael said Eritrean forces were plotting another military offensive and also accused the Asmara government of using starvation to crush the province...

The truce has yet to be extended into a ceasefire though Abiy and President Debretsion Gebremichael in Mekelle have spoken on the telephone and military commanders have discussed prisoner exchanges...

That was reflected in a message to Hassan Sheikh from Debretsion Gebremichael leader of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) saying he was looking forward to working with him on regional security...

The President of Tigray Debretsion Gebremichael has outlined minimum conditions for a negotiated settlement under which the Tigray Defence Forces would remain intact Tigray would keep its previous borders and its future be decided through a referendum for the region...

There was a brief hiatus after 19 December when Debretsion Gebremichael leader of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) announced Tigray's forces were withdrawing to their home region to create space for negotiations on a ceasefire (Dispatches 20/12/21 Tigrayan offer to withdraw opens door to a ceasefire as UN Security Council debates humanitarian crisis)...

For now the onus is on a few individuals such as Nigeria's former President Olusegun Obasanjo who as the AU's Special Envoy was cleared by Addis to fly to the Tigrayan capital of Mekelle to meet TPLF President Debretsion Gebremichael on 7 November...

Some in Abiy's government had been predicting a split in the Tigray leadership between regional and TPLF leader Debretsion Gebremichael and TDF commanders led by General Tsadkan Gebretensae...