Drone Strikes Reported as Fighting Intensifies in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region

Drone strikes are reportedly continuing in Ethiopia’s Tigray region as fighting intensifies, while daily life in the regional capital Mekelle shows limited signs of recovery.

Ermiyas Ababu, a Tigray Peace Force commander in the Mekelle zone, said government-allied forces were conducting the strikes in cooperation with his forces. “The federal government with the cooperation of our forces are conducting the drone strikes until our state is free from those forces,” he said.

The latest escalation follows the seizure of Mekelle airport by Tigray fighters on September 23. Federal forces have reportedly since retaken the facility, although the account has not been independently confirmed in the available information.

Markets and transport begin to return

Despite the renewed fighting, some commercial and transport activity has resumed in Mekelle after several days of disruption.

Markets have reopened, but residents say supplies remain limited. Ahmedin Mehammed said only a narrow selection of essential goods was available. “The market has resumed, but for everyone to gain confidence, all markets need to open fully,” he said.

Some local transport services have also returned to the streets, including motorized auto-rickshaws. The extent and likely duration of the reopening remain unclear.

Business activity continues to face serious constraints because of a shortage of cash, according to resident Birhanu Araya. “The main issue for the public right now is the lack of cash,” Araya said, while noting that conditions were better than they had been two or three days earlier.

Peace agreement under pressure

The renewed clashes have placed the 2022 peace agreement under fresh pressure. The accord brought an end to the two-year Tigray war, but the latest developments have raised concerns about the stability of that settlement.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has vowed to crush the insurgency. The available account does not provide independent confirmation of the competing claims surrounding the fighting, the drone strikes or the reported recapture of Mekelle airport.