Ethiopian Forces Reportedly Enter Adwa After TPLF Withdrawal

Ethiopian government forces and an allied militia entered the northern town of Adwa without a fight after Tigray People’s Liberation Front fighters withdrew, residents said.

The reported movement took place on Sunday in Adwa, a town in Tigray located about 40km from Eritrea’s border. One resident confirmed that TPLF fighters had left but said government forces had not yet reached the town centre. Other residents reported that federal forces and the allied militia had entered Adwa.

Conditions in the town remained tense. A local resident, Aferwerki, told AFP that shops were closed and that several government institutions had been looted, including Adwa Hospital.

“All the shops in the town are closed. Last night, many government institutions, including Adwa Hospital, were looted,” Aferwerki said.

Recent fighting around Tigray

The reported entry into Adwa followed Ethiopian forces’ capture of Adigrat and Mekelle, Tigray’s regional capital. The developments came after a seven-group armed alliance, including the TPLF, began fighting Ethiopian forces and captured Mekelle airport.

The TPLF had said its regional administration was moved from Mekelle “temporarily”. Amanuel Assefa, the group’s vice president, declined to comment when approached about the reported developments.

ACLED reported that Ethiopian drone strikes targeted a hotel in Adwa on October 4. The organisation said the strikes wounded between five and nine people, including security personnel. ACLED also said some sources indicated that TPLF Chairman Debretsion Gebremichael and other senior officials were at the hotel, but stressed that the information had not been verified.

An unnamed Adwa resident described the atmosphere after the TPLF withdrawal by saying, “The roads are deserted. People are very afraid of theft.”

Flights resume to Mekelle

Ethiopian Airlines resumed flights between Addis Abba and Mekelle on Sunday for the first time since September 23, according to the reported information.

Getachew Reda and intelligence chief Redwan Hussein were greeted by supporters at Mekelle airport. Reda told them: “I would like to assure you on this occasion that we will bring visible change, a change beyond mere hope.”

Ethiopia has accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of supporting the rebel alliance. Khartoum and Cairo denied involvement. Eritrea fought alongside Ethiopia’s federal army during the 2020-2022 war, and the source report says Eritrea later severed diplomatic ties with Ethiopia over accusations that it supported the alliance.

Residents’ accounts of the entry into Adwa have not been independently confirmed in the supplied information.