OMM Redaksiyası
Local forces in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region have seized control of the airport in the regional capital, Mekelle, from federal police, residents told the BBC.
No flights were landing at the airport. Ethiopian Airlines said it had suspended flights to Mekelle, Shire and Axum because of the “current situation” in Tigray.
Tensions rise between Tigray and Addis Ababa
Tensions have intensified this year between Ethiopia’s federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the party that governs the region, raising fears that the area could return to civil war.
On Sunday, the TPLF announced an alliance with six armed groups seeking to remove the government in Addis Ababa.
A two-year war in Tigray ended in November 2022, but both sides have accused each other of violating an African Union-mediated peace agreement. The conflict was among the deadliest of the 21st century, with the African Union’s mediator estimating that about 600,000 people died as fighting pushed the region towards famine.
Reports of drone strikes
The flight suspensions came after a series of reported drone strikes in Tigray.
A strike in the southern town of Alamata on Tuesday killed at least 14 people and injured 22 others, according to Tigrayan authorities. Mayor Mogos Shiferaw told the BBC that more than five drones and one fighter jet carried out over 21 strikes from about 03:30.
“This caused a lot of psychological trauma in our city and our people were in a state of panic,” he said.
Mogos said all those killed and injured were civilians and accused federal forces of targeting two secondary schools. He said the schools may have been targeted because they were suspected of being used by Tigrayan forces.
The mayor said the schools had served as federal military bases during the civil war but were empty because the academic year had not yet started.
The BBC could not independently verify the allegations, and the Ethiopian government has not publicly commented.
Calls for investigation and dialogue
On Wednesday, Tigrayan authorities accused Addis Ababa of launching an open invasion against the region’s residents. They urged people to support regional forces and maintain unity.
The US State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs also condemned a separate drone strike it said took place on Monday against a convoy of Catholic vehicles carrying food aid. It called for an investigation and urged all parties to resolve their differences through dialogue and take steps to prevent similar incidents.
Leaders in Addis Ababa and the TPLF have faced criticism over delays in implementing key provisions of the Pretoria Agreement, which formally ended the conflict in November 2022.
In July, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed accused the TPLF of preparing for renewed conflict in an address to parliament. Shortly before the general election in May, the TPLF restored its pre-war administration and disbanded an interim administration appointed by Abiy.
There have also been reports that the TPLF forcibly recruited young men to join its forces.
