Ethiopian forces retake Mekelle airport as renewed Tigray conflict widens

Ethiopian federal forces and pro-government fighters have retaken the main airport serving Mekelle, the capital of the northern Tigray region, as Tigrayan fighters and leaders were reported to be leaving the city on Saturday.

Two sources told Reuters that the Ethiopian National Defence Forces had regained Alula Aba Nega Airport, about 10km from central Mekelle. A local journalist and residents told AFP they had seen fighters and leaders of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front retreating, although federal troops had not yet been observed inside the city. Restricted media access and communications blackouts have made battlefield accounts difficult to verify.

The fighting began on September 23 after months of tension over the 2022 Pretoria peace agreement, which ended a two-year war that killed hundreds of thousands. Each side accuses the other of restarting hostilities. Tigrayan forces initially seized three regional airports and launched operations in neighbouring Afar and Amhara, while the federal army subsequently began a counteroffensive toward Mekelle.

At least 52 civilians were killed during three days of fighting around Alamata, a hospital source told the BBC. Médecins Sans Frontières said hospitals it supports in Tigray had admitted more than 700 wounded people. Fighting has also disrupted flights and stranded tourists in Lalibela.

The escalation followed the TPLF’s formation of a seven-group armed alliance whose stated aim is to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government. Addis Ababa has accused Eritrea of backing armed groups, an allegation Eritrea denies.