Federal Forces Reclaim Mekelle as Tigray Opposition Withdraws

KAMPALA, Uganda — Government‑aligned forces entered Mekelle, the capital of Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, on Sunday, a witness reported, after the rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) announced a withdrawal amid renewed combat.

Late last month, the TPLF captured Mekelle’s airport and the city, a major urban center. However, in a statement issued Saturday, the group said its forces had withdrawn, echoing its earlier tactic during the two‑year war that concluded with a 2022 peace deal, apparently to prevent further devastation.

Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to Mekelle, Axum and Shire after the rebels seized the airport. The African Union called for restraint, cautioning that the flare‑up jeopardized the 2022 peace accord.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has struggled to bring Tigray’s rebel leadership to heel in recent months, with TPLF Chairman Debretsion Gebremichael openly defying him. Debretsion declared on Thursday that the current clashes were a “continuation of the previous war” and that his fighters would persist in attacking and defending Tigray against its foes.

Once federal troops secure Mekelle, Prime Minister Abiy is expected to hand regional security to the Tigray Peace Force, a coalition of former TPLF/Tigray Defense Forces fighters, according to Jalale Getachew Birru, an Ethiopia analyst with ACLED, an independent conflict‑monitoring organization.

The Tigray Peace Force is allied with federal troops and is engaged in combat against the TPLF.

Severe disruptions to internet and mobile networks have hampered information gathering from Tigray, though limited connectivity was reported on Sunday. Residents in Mekelle told The Associated Press on Saturday that federal forces had reclaimed the airport, though details remained scarce.

As TPLF‑aligned fighters withdrew, civilians looted government offices and removed equipment from the regional police headquarters in Mekelle, a local businessman who observed the scene said on Sunday. The looting focused on the TPLF administrative office, the police headquarters and several shops, according to Filmon Equar Hailu.

Speaking by phone from Mekelle, Filmon recounted seeing TPLF‑affiliated fighters carrying light weapons depart the city on foot and by vehicle. The evacuations started in small groups roughly three days earlier and persisted through Saturday afternoon, he added.

Later, small groups of Tigray Peace Force fighters entered Mekelle, Filmon reported, noting that celebratory gunfire was heard throughout the night into Sunday morning.

The TPLF is among seven opposition factions that formed a coalition late last month with the goal of unseating Prime Minister Abiy. Abiy assumed office in 2018 and was re‑elected earlier this year. Historically, the TPLF served as Tigray’s governing party and was the leading force in the coalition that ruled Ethiopia from 1991 to 2018.

The renewed conflict has inflicted fresh suffering on civilians still reeling from the earlier war. Residents reported heightened fears of isolation due to flight suspensions and noted that roads linking Tigray with Afar have been closed to civilian traffic.

The dispute is also straining regional alliances, with Ethiopia alleging that the TPLF receives support from Eritrea and Egypt. Ethiopia’s relations with Egypt have been strained in recent years over a major Nile River dam that Cairo opposes, fearing it could reduce Egypt’s water supply.

Abiy has also antagonized Eritrea by declaring Ethiopia’s desire for sovereign access to Eritrea’s Red Sea port of Assab.

On Thursday, Ethiopia closed its embassy in Eritrea and expelled ten Eritrean diplomats from Addis Ababa, accusing them of “activities that directly threaten Ethiopia’s national security.” In response, Eritrea announced it was severing diplomatic relations with Ethiopia.

Egypt denies backing the TPLF, while Eritrea claims that Abiy is attempting to portray an internal conflict as a foreign problem.

Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki visited Egypt on a working trip at the invitation of his Egyptian counterpart, according to Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel, who announced the visit Saturday. Yemane said on the social platform X that Afwerki and President Abdel‑Fattah el‑Sissi would “discuss further enhancement of bilateral ties during the visit.”

____ Kazziha reported from Nairobi, Kenya.

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