Government Forces Reportedly Take Control of Mekelle After TPLF Withdrawal

Ethiopian federal forces and allied fighters were reported to have taken control of Mekelle, the capital of the Tigray region, after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front said it had withdrawn from the city.

The reported change in control followed the recapture of Mekelle’s main airport by the Ethiopian federal army and pro-government fighters. A source close to the Tigray Peace Forces told Reuters that its fighters entered the city centre on Saturday, followed by the Ethiopian military.

A humanitarian source and a Mekelle resident also told Reuters that government forces controlled the city. Separately, a humanitarian source told AFP that staff on the ground reported the TPLF had abandoned the regional capital and that Ethiopian federal and allied forces had been seen in several parts of Mekelle.

TPLF says it has relocated

In a statement on social media late on Saturday, the TPLF said it had “temporarily moved out of Mekelle” and would “operate from somewhere else”. The statement did not specify where the group would operate after leaving the city.

The reports have not been independently verified, and the source material does not include an official statement from Ethiopia’s federal government confirming the capture of Mekelle.

Fears of wider regional escalation

The latest fighting began on September 23, after seven armed and political groups announced an alliance aimed at removing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and creating an inclusive transitional administration.

The renewed conflict follows the collapse of a 2022 peace agreement that had ended an earlier war between Ethiopia’s federal government and forces from Tigray. That fighting, which lasted from 2020 to 2022, reportedly killed hundreds of thousands of people, displaced millions and largely cut Tigray off from the rest of Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian government has accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of backing the opposition coalition. Sudan and Egypt have denied involvement. Eritrea fought alongside Ethiopia’s federal army during the earlier war and later severed diplomatic ties with Ethiopia over the accusations.

The United States has warned that rising tensions could affect the wider region. Washington urged Ethiopia and Eritrea to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of their neighbours, exercise maximum restraint and return to dialogue and cooperation.

The latest reports provide no confirmed casualty or displacement figures and no details about conditions in Mekelle after government forces were said to have entered the city.