OMM Redaksiyası
The Tigray Peace Forces, an armed group allied with Ethiopia’s federal government, said Saturday it had captured Alula Aba Nega Airport, the main airport serving Mekelle, the capital of the northern Tigray region.
The group said it was advancing into Mekelle as federal forces and allied fighters pressed a counteroffensive after more than a week of intense fighting. It announced the claimed airport capture in a statement posted on “X”.
“We’ve taken full control of Mekelle Alula Aba Nega Airport. We’re currently clearing the city of Mekelle,” the group said. It also claimed that leaders of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) had fled toward Eritrea, a statement that could not be independently verified.
Airport had been under Tigrayan control
Sources familiar with the military situation also said Ethiopian government forces had taken control of the airport. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s office had not publicly commented on the latest developments.
Alula Aba Nega Airport had been under Tigrayan control since the latest major escalation began in September. Tigrayan forces seized the airports in Mekelle and Shire on Sept. 23, and Axum Airport was also reported to have come under their control. Ethiopian Airlines later suspended flights to all three destinations.
The latest advance followed a rapid counteroffensive by federal forces and allied fighters toward Mekelle. The TPLF is part of a wider alliance of armed opposition groups that launched an offensive against government positions last week, opening several fronts in northern Ethiopia.
Fighting coincides with regional diplomatic tensions
The renewed fighting is the most serious escalation since the 2020-2022 war between Ethiopia’s federal government and Tigrayan forces.
Regional tensions have also risen. Ethiopia closed its embassy in neighbouring Eritrea this week and expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats, accusing Asmara of hostile activities. Eritrea rejected the allegations and cut diplomatic relations with Ethiopia.
Addis Ababa and Cairo have also expelled diplomats from each other’s countries amid Ethiopian accusations that foreign actors were supporting its opponents. Egypt rejected those allegations.
The African Union has urged Ethiopia, Eritrea and Egypt to exercise “maximum restraint” and avoid actions or statements that could further destabilise the region.
The latest fighting threatens to undermine the Pretoria peace agreement signed in November 2022, which ended the two-year war between Ethiopia’s federal government and the TPLF.
