Ethiopian Forces Retake Airport In Tigray’s Capital

Ethiopia’s federal military has recaptured Alula Aba Nega Airport in Mekelle, the capital of the northern Tigray region, according to three sources who spoke to Reuters on Saturday.

The development comes after clashes broke out last week between an opposition alliance led by Tigray’s ruling party and government forces and their allies. The fighting is the most serious escalation in the region since the 2020-2022 civil war. A source with knowledge of events in Mekelle and a humanitarian source said Ethiopian National Defence Forces troops had regained control of the airport, which is about 10 kilometres from the city centre.

A Mekelle resident also confirmed that government forces had taken the airport and said gunfire could be heard outside the city centre. The resident said some Tigrayan Defence Force fighters had abandoned their positions and returned home, while government facilities in the city were being looted.

Reuters could not immediately independently verify those claims, while the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) was not immediately available for comment. A source close to the TPLF said the city was surrounded by government troops and allied militias.

Mekelle airport was one of three airports in Tigray seized by opposition forces when the latest fighting began on September 23.

The renewed violence has raised fears of a wider regional conflict involving neighbouring countries in the Horn of Africa and the Gulf. Ethiopia this week severed diplomatic ties with Eritrea after accusing it, alongside Sudan and Egypt, of supporting the opposition alliance. The three countries have denied the allegations.

The current fighting follows the 2020-2022 Tigray war, during which federal forces captured Mekelle in the first month of the conflict before the TPLF retook the city seven months later.

SOURCE: Reuters