Ethiopian federal forces have reportedly taken control of Alula Aba Nega Airport in Mekelle, according to residents who spoke to The Associated Press and an Ethiopian general who addressed the situation anonymously.

The timing and circumstances of the reported change in control were not immediately clear. It was also uncertain whether fighting took place at the airport or who controlled Mekelle itself.

The general said the military was in full control of the facility. “The military is in full control of the airport. That much I can confirm,” the general said, according to the report.

Information from Tigray has been difficult to collect and verify because of severe disruptions to internet and cellphone services. The Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front had not issued official statements confirming the reported capture.

Airport seized last month

TPLF fighters seized the airport on September 23, a move that led Ethiopian Airlines to suspend flights to Mekelle, Axum and Shire.

The reported federal takeover comes amid renewed tensions in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. The African Union has urged restraint, warning that the escalation threatened the peace agreement signed in 2022.

The agreement, known as the Pretoria Peace Agreement, ended the previous war and was followed by an uneasy period of calm until clashes resumed in late 2025, according to the report.

Uncertainty in Mekelle

Residents in Mekelle told the Associated Press that they feared looting as uncertainty spread through the city. Some people who provided information declined to be identified because of concerns about possible retribution and uncertainty over which side controlled the city.

The region has not fully recovered from the previous conflict. Around one million people remain displaced, while several elements of the peace agreement have yet to be implemented.

Rights groups have accused the TPLF of carrying out forced recruitment during the year as it prepared for renewed conflict. Ethiopian authorities, meanwhile, have accused the group of forming alliances with Eritrea and Ethiopian armed groups. Those claims remain attributed to the parties that made them.

The TPLF ruled Ethiopia from 1991 to 2018 before being sidelined following the rise of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. The federal government has maintained a significant military advantage and increased its production of military drones since the previous conflict, according to the report.

With communications disrupted and no formal confirmation from either side, the reported airport takeover could not establish who controlled Mekelle or how broadly federal forces had advanced in the city.