Reported Airport Recapture in Mekelle Leaves Control of City Unclear

Ethiopian federal forces have reportedly taken control of Alula Aba Nega Airport in Mekelle from Tigrayan fighters, according to people in the city who spoke to The Associated Press.

An Ethiopian general, speaking anonymously, also said the military controlled the airport. “The military is in full control of the airport. That much I can confirm,” the general said.

However, the timing of the reported recapture and the circumstances surrounding it remained unclear. It was also not known whether fighting took place at the airport or how control changed hands.

Communications disruptions hamper verification

Severe interruptions to internet and cellphone networks in Tigray have made it difficult to collect and verify information from the region. The identities of the people who provided accounts to the AP were withheld because of concerns about possible retribution.

Neither the Ethiopian government nor the Tigray People’s Liberation Front had issued an official statement on the reported capture. It was also unclear who controlled Mekelle itself, while residents reportedly feared looting amid the uncertainty.

Tigrayan fighters seized the airport on September 23. Ethiopian Airlines subsequently suspended flights to Mekelle, Axum and Shire.

Renewed threat to peace agreement

The reported development comes amid renewed tensions between Ethiopia’s federal government and the TPLF. The African Union has urged restraint, warning that the escalation threatens the peace agreement signed in 2022.

The Pretoria Peace Agreement ended the previous war and brought an uneasy period of calm. That stability held until clashes resumed in late 2025.

After fighting restarted, the federal government launched drone strikes in Tigray and assembled troops near the regional border. Ethiopian authorities have also accused the TPLF of forming alliances with neighbouring Eritrea and Ethiopian armed groups.

Rights groups have accused the TPLF of conducting a campaign of forced recruitment this year as it prepared for renewed conflict. Those accusations are part of a wider deterioration in relations between the federal authorities and the Tigrayan leadership.

Humanitarian pressure continues

Tigray has yet to recover from the previous conflict, with around one million people still displaced and several elements of the peace agreement remaining unfulfilled.

The federal government retains a significant military advantage and has increased production of military drones since the last conflict, according to the background account on the renewed tensions.

With communications still severely disrupted and no official confirmation from either side, the reported airport recapture remains difficult to assess. The extent of federal control in Mekelle and the wider Tigray region was not immediately clear.