NRC Calls on Militants in Tigray Region to Hand Over Arms, Enter Rehabilitation Centers

Addis Ababa, October 7, 2026 (ENA)—The National Rehabilitation Commission (NRC) has called on militants in Tigray Region to hand over their arms to Ethiopian Defense Force units near their vicinities. 

The Commission has also declared its full operational readiness to accelerate the Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) process for combatants in the region.

 Speaking to journalists, NRC Deputy Commissioner Brigadier General Derbie Mekuriaw said the DDE framework established under the Pretoria Peace Agreement remains intact and fully funded.

 He confirmed that the commission, established pursuant to the 2022 Pretoria Peace Agreement, has been actively implementing DDR activities in collaboration with the Tigray Interim Regional Administration since 2024.

The government, bolstered by strong support from the international community, has allocated budgets for these operations in order to ensure that Tigrayan youth can transition into peaceful civilian life.

 

As a testament to this, the Deputy Commissioner cited the recent successful reception and rehabilitation of fighters associated with the "Army 70" group in Sudan.

 

Brigadier General Derbie urged the militants in the region to similarly surrender their weapons and report to defense units immediately, noting that most of the youth choose peace.

 

“By exiting this chaotic life and stepping out from the fire of war and reporting to the Defense Force, you can enter the demobilization centers prepared. There is a demobilization center prepared around Mekelle,” he elaborated.

 

The Deputy Commissioner stressed that the path to peace is open and organized, calling on the militants not to lose hope or perish for the ambitions of extremists.

 The NRC has established demobilization centers in and around Mekelle to handle the ex-combatants.

 Brigadier General Derbie outlined a clear procedure: militants should present themselves and hand over firearms to locally stationed defense units, either individually or in organized groups, to access rehabilitation services.

 Emphasizing the human cost of continued conflict, the Deputy Commissioner called on all youth—members of army units or forcibly conscripted—to recognize the government’s alternative.

 “As these youth are asset to themselves, their family, the Tigray Region, and the country, the government and the National Rehabilitation Commission call on them to return to peace. Starting tomorrow, it is possible to enter the rehabilitation center prepared in the Mekelle area,” Brigadier General Derbie said.

 The Deputy Commissioner further added that parallel DDR operations are continuing to reintegrate ex-combatants, viewing the successful transition of fighters as critical to Ethiopia’s long-term peace and development.