Ethiopian Government Forces Seize Tigray Capital Mekelle as Rebel Fighters Withdraw
Panoramic view of Mekelle, capital of Ethiopia's Tigray region, in 2018 (file photo, illustrative of the city, not of this week's fighting). Photo: A.Savin, Free Art License, via Wikimedia Commons.
Ethiopian federal troops have captured Mekelle, the capital of the northern Tigray region, after Tigray People's Liberation Front fighters withdrew, marking a major escalation in fighting that began in late September.
Ethiopian federal troops and allied militia have seized Mekelle, the capital of the northern Tigray region, after capturing the city's main airport prompted fighters of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) to withdraw, officials and the group confirmed this weekend.
In a statement, the TPLF said it had "temporarily moved out of Mekelle" in order to "operate from somewhere else," signaling the group intends to continue resisting rather than surrender. The fighting began on September 23 after seven opposition groups formed an alliance aimed at removing Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government, effectively collapsing a 2022 peace agreement that had ended Ethiopia's brutal 2020-2022 Tigray war, a conflict that killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions.
Ethiopia's government has accused neighboring Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of backing the opposition coalition, raising concern about wider regional involvement. The U.S. State Department warned that the tensions "have the potential to affect the entire region," while Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi called for "dialogue, not confrontation" on cross-border issues tied to the conflict.
The fall of Mekelle marks a significant turning point in the renewed fighting, though the TPLF's vow to keep fighting from elsewhere means the conflict is not considered resolved. Liberia Today is following developments as the situation in northern Ethiopia continues to unfold and will update this story as confirmed information becomes available.