Ethiopian Federal Forces Reportedly Take Control of Mekelle

MEKELLE, Ethiopia — Ethiopian federal forces have reportedly taken control of Mekelle, the capital of the Tigray region, after entering the city without a fight on Saturday.

A local journalist told AFP that federal troops were patrolling Mekelle and occupying key institutions on Sunday. A commander with a pro-government militia also told AFP, “We have taken control of Mekelle and we are marching forward.”

The reports could not establish whether federal forces had secured lasting control across the wider Tigray region. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and its troops were reported to have left the city.

Uncertain security situation

Communications in Mekelle were restored for the first time in more than a week, according to the report. However, businesses and shops remained closed, with owners having moved stock to safer locations because of fears of looting and vandalism.

One resident described the absence of police and said residents had taken responsibility for security. “There are no police,” the resident said. “Last night, we had to organise ourselves and take care of security.”

Tewodros, another resident, said the reported decline in fighting had brought some immediate relief but expressed concern that the conflict could continue to spread. “The fact that the war is beginning to lower in intensity brings some immediate relief,” he said. “But as seems to be spreading across the region, I’m scared it will drag on.”

The TPLF and Ethiopian federal forces resumed fighting on September 23. TPLF leader Debretsion Gebremichael implied that the group could continue guerrilla-style attacks, saying, “We operate under a strategy to strike the enemy wherever we choose.”

Regional concerns

Amid the renewed fighting, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Sudanese Armed Forces head Abdel Fattah al-Burhan met in the Egyptian coastal city of El-Alamein on Sunday.

According to the Egyptian presidency, the leaders called for regional disputes to be settled peacefully and stressed respect for international law and non-interference in the internal affairs of states in the Horn of Africa.

The meeting took place as concern grew that the fighting could cross Ethiopia’s border into Eritrea. Ethiopia has accused Eritrea of directly supporting the Tigray rebels with backing from Sudan and Egypt. Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt have denied the accusation.

Al-Sisi called for cooperation and dialogue in managing natural resources and transboundary rivers in line with international law. A joint statement also opposed unilateral measures that could harm downstream countries.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said Cairo had “absolutely nothing to do” with events in Ethiopia, describing the unrest as a domestic crisis rooted in ethnic and political divisions.

Conflict follows fragile peace

The TPLF was the dominant political force in Tigray and previously ruled Ethiopia from 1991 to 2018. It was later marginalised after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power. Mekelle fell to government forces in 2020 during an earlier war before the TPLF later retook the city.

The 2020–2022 civil war killed more than 600,000 people, according to an estimate attributed to the African Union. A 2022 peace agreement brokered by African institutions and Washington was intended to end the conflict, but the agreement was never fully implemented.

The latest fighting has also intensified tensions involving Egypt and Ethiopia, which have been engaged in a long-running dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile. Relations deteriorated further after the two countries expelled members of each other’s diplomatic missions.

Eritrea shares a long border with Tigray and has accused Ethiopia of planning to invade and seize access to its coastline. The extent of any Eritrean, Sudanese or Egyptian support for the TPLF remains disputed, while it is not yet clear whether the fighting has ended or merely decreased in intensity.