Tigray rebels abandon Mekelle as pro-government forces claim airport, sources say

Tigray rebels were abandoning their regional capital Mekelle in northern Ethiopia on Saturday, a local journalist and residents told AFP, as pro-government forces advanced on the city.

“TPLF militants and leaders are leaving Mekelle,” the journalist said. Government offices and police stations had been left without security personnel, and residents feared looting. “I am worried that lawlessness could spread in the city, and I am also afraid for my life,” one resident told AFP.

Late on Friday, the pro-government Tigray Peace Forces militia posted on X that it had taken full control of Mekelle’s Alula Aba Nega Airport and was “clearing the city”. Reuters said it could not immediately verify the assertion; the Prime Minister’s Office did not respond to a request for comment, and the TPLF could not be reached.

Fighting erupted on 23 September when the rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front launched attacks into neighbouring states, raising fears of a return to the devastating 2020-2022 civil war. Federal forces and pro-government militias pushed them back and have been heading north towards Mekelle, seizing the airport on Friday, AFP reported.

The taking of Mekelle would be a major setback for the TPLF, Reuters noted, and analysts warn the fighting — the worst escalation since the civil war — could widen into a regional conflict. Ethiopia has accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of backing the rebels, all of which deny it; Addis Ababa shut its embassy in Asmara and expelled Eritrean diplomats on Thursday, prompting Eritrea to sever all ties.