Ethiopia: NRC Reports Over 45,000 Ex-Combatants Demobilized in Tigray, Up From 17,000 in April

Addis Abeba– More than 45,000 former combatants from the Tigray region have been demobilized and reintegrated into their communities, Ethiopia’s National Rehabilitation Commission (NRC) said, marking a sharp increase after less than two months since it reported that only 17,000 had completed the process.

According to the state-run Ethiopian News Agency (ENA), the updated figures were shared during a Program Implementation Review Meeting held with the DDR Partners Task Force on 17 June. The NRC said over 56,000 ex-combatants have been demobilized across four regions, with the majority — more than 45,000 — from Tigray.

The Commission stated that the DDR program is “a key component of the country’s peace process” and is intended to support the “transition of ex-combatants back into civilian life” through medical, psychosocial, and financial assistance.

In a social media post cited by ENA, NRC Commissioner Temesgen Tilahun described the development as “a major milestone” in the implementation of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA) and a “critical step” toward “lasting peace and stability” in Ethiopia. He added that with “ongoing partnership and unwavering commitment,” the first phase of the program in Tigray is expected to be completed “within the next two months.”

In April, Temesgen told Deutsche Welle (DW) that only 17,000 of the planned 75,000 ex-combatants in Tigray had been reintegrated at that time. He said the process had been “interrupted for months” due to what he called “political instability,” adding that delays in verifying combatant data and the “organization and handover of weapons” had further slowed progress. By the end of December 2024, he noted, only “around 8,000” individuals had completed demobilization.

The DDR program in Tigray officially began in November 2024 and is part of a national plan to demobilize more than 371,000 ex-combatants across seven regions. The first phase in Tigray is funded by 1 billion birr from the Ethiopian government and $60 million in international support.