Ethiopia PM says army quit Tigray as no longer 'centre' of conflict

FILE PHOTO: Ethiopia's Redwan Hussein, spokesperson for the newly established State of Emergency task force and State Minister for the Foreign Affairs, speaks during a news conference regarding the fighting between Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) and the Tigray Regional Special Forces, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia November 23, 2020. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) -Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed acknowledged government troops had left Tigray's regional capital Mekelle after months of fighting, saying it was because the city was no longer the "centre of gravity for conflicts".

Another government figure said the troops could return in weeks if needed - the first statements by federal officials since Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) forces took the city this week in a major turn of events in the conflict.