Ethiopia: Ethiopia Captures Tigray Capital As Its Regional Rivals Meet in Egypt

What the report says

Ethiopian federal forces have taken back control of Mekelle, the capital of Tigray, according to local sources cited in the reported article by Radio France Internationale and distributed by AllAfrica. The development marks a significant setback for the Tigray People’s Liberation Front-led regional alliance, which had governed the area and said it had pulled out of the city while shifting the regional administration elsewhere temporarily.

The fighting follows a renewed offensive launched by the TPLF against the federal government last month, which has raised fears of a return to the devastating 2020-2022 war in northern Ethiopia. The article says federal troops were seen patrolling key sites in Mekelle and that communications, cut for more than a week, were restored. Residents and local business owners described closures, looting concerns and the presence of armed groups as control of the city changed hands.

The report also places the battle in a broader regional context. On the same day, leaders from Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan were scheduled to meet in Egypt’s Alamein to discuss the risk that the conflict could spread beyond Ethiopia. Ethiopia has accused Eritrea of backing the Tigray rebels, while Eritrea and the other countries deny those claims. The African Union has urged restraint, warning that the renewed violence could undermine the 2022 peace agreement.