Fighting around the Tigrayan capital marks a shift in the conflict, risking a wider regional war.
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Fighting around the Tigrayan capital marks a shift in the conflict, risking a wider regional war.
Ethiopian government forces have retaken control of the main airport in Mekelle, the capital of the northern Tigray region. The seizure of Alula Aba Nega Airport was confirmed to Reuters by a source familiar with the situation and a humanitarian source.
The airport, about 10 kilometers east of Mekelle's center, had been held by rebel forces for over a week. Troops loyal to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed have made significant gains in the region, taking several towns and moving closer to the capital.
A local journalist told AFP that Tigray People's Liberation Front militants and leaders are leaving Mekelle. A resident confirmed the airport had been retaken and reported hearing gunfire outside the city center.
The same resident said some TPLF fighters were abandoning their posts and government facilities were being looted. Another resident expressed fear that lawlessness could spread in the city.
The renewed fighting follows intense clashes that erupted in late September between federal forces and the TPLF. This shattered the Pretoria Agreement, a fragile peace deal signed in November 2022.
The conflict now spans several fronts across the northern Ethiopian regions of Tigray, Amhara, and Afar. Pro-government Tigrayan fighters, known as the Tigray Peace Force, claimed last week to have captured the strategic town of Alamata.
This development is important because Alamata sits near Tigray's southern border and is a supply hub for troops and materiel. Its capture could allow federal forces to push north towards Mekelle.
Al Jazeera reports the fighting has stoked fears of a wider regional conflict that could draw in neighboring countries in the Horn of Africa. France 24 notes the African Union is urging restraint amid spreading tensions.
2 independent outlets filed 3 reports within the same hour.
New information and intent is pushing the story forward, reflected in battlefield shifts like the recapture of the airport. This is creating a false sense of momentum for the federal government.
The single most dominant force is the unexamined option: that military victory may not end the conflict. This means the government's advances, while real, could simply open a more insidious chapter defined by guerrilla resistance.
The conflict is strongly coupled to others, making external factors integral rather than side notes. The fight's spread to Amhara and Afar, along with Eritrea's role and the African Union's call for restraint, shows it is metastasizing beyond Tigray.
A steep price of continued self-deception exists for all sides, particularly the belief that a purely military solution is viable. This cost is compounded by a widening gap between Ethiopia's stated commitment to federal unity and the brutality of its military operations.
The advance of Ethiopian forces creates an illusion of control. The most probable outcome is a pyrrhic victory followed by a draining, long-term insurgency. A more dangerous path sees the conflict exploding into a regional proxy war.
Watch for signs the fighting is metastasizing beyond Tigray, for the stance of neighboring states like Eritrea, and for any move away from a purely military solution toward political accommodation. The story is still moving.
Military, pro-government forces recapture airport in Tigray's capital as fighting also rages in Amhara and Afar regions.
South African Lhuan-dre Pretorius hit 50 in 24 balls, needed 16 more to reach 100 and took another 18 to hit 150.
First, Ethiopia and Eritrea have severed ties and now with tensions spreading across the region, the African Union is urging all sides to show restraint. Meanwhile, Ethiopia's army is advancing toward the Tigrayan capital as fighting intensifies and new explosions rock Addis Ababa. Then, from boardrooms to cocoa fields, a growing number of urban
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