Ethiopian government forces seize Tigray capital Mekelle as TPLF withdraws

What the report says

Ethiopia’s federal forces and allied fighters have taken control of Mekelle, the capital of the northern Tigray region, after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front said it had withdrawn from the city. In a statement posted on social media, the TPLF said it had temporarily moved out of Mekelle to continue operating elsewhere. Al Jazeera reported that the announcement followed the capture of the city’s main airport and reports from sources on the ground that government forces were present in central Mekelle.

The shift in control comes amid renewed fighting that began on September 23 after seven armed and political groups announced an alliance against Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government. The latest clashes follow the collapse of a 2022 peace deal that had ended the earlier war between federal forces and Tigrayan fighters. The renewed conflict has raised concern that violence could spread beyond Ethiopia, with regional governments coming under scrutiny over accusations of involvement.

Ethiopia has accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of supporting the opposition coalition, while those governments have denied the allegations. The United States has called on Ethiopia and Eritrea to show restraint and return to dialogue. The TPLF, which once dominated Ethiopian politics, has long been a central actor in the country’s conflicts, and the fighting in Tigray previously left a major humanitarian toll, including deaths, displacement and disrupted access to the region.