Ethiopian forces retook Tigray’s capital Mekelle from rebels. Four African leaders issued a joint declaration amid fears of wider war.
Ethiopian government forces and allied militias regained control of Mekelle, the capital of the northern Tigray region, on Sunday, dealing a major blow to a seven-group rebel alliance after more than a week of intense fighting. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front said in a statement it had “temporarily moved out” of the city “to operate from somewhere else,” after government forces recaptured Mekelle’s main airport and troops loyal to the TPLF-aligned Tigray Peace Forces entered the city center Saturday afternoon, followed by the Ethiopian military.
A humanitarian source and a Mekelle resident, who asked not to be named, confirmed to Reuters that government forces controlled the city as of Sunday. Federal troops were patrolling Mekelle and manning key institutions, according to France 24, while a local journalist described the federal government as now in full control of the regional capital. The TPLF launched its offensive against the Ethiopian military on Sept. 23, in the worst escalation of fighting since the brutal 2020-2022 civil war between the two sides, which ended with a fragile peace agreement.
Ethiopia’s federal government has accused neighboring Eritrea, along with Sudan and Egypt, of backing the rebel alliance, allegations all three countries deny; Addis Ababa severed diplomatic ties with Eritrea last week over the accusations. Amid the widening rift, the leaders of Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan’s army chief issued a joint declaration Sunday following a meeting in New Alamein City, Egypt, that appeared to push back against several of Ethiopia’s recent regional policies. Analysts have warned that the fighting, which has also spread to Ethiopia’s Amhara and Afar regions, threatens to escalate into a wider regional conflict.
This report is based on information from Reuters (via U.S. News and Sowetan), Al Jazeera and France 24.