Ethiopian forces take Mekelle as TPLF withdraws and neighbours meet in Egypt

Ethiopian federal forces and allied fighters were in control of Mekelle, the capital of Tigray, on Sunday after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front said it had “temporarily moved out” of the city.

Al Jazeera, citing AFP and Reuters, reported that pro-government Tigray Peace Forces entered the centre on Saturday after federal troops retook the main airport, with residents and humanitarian sources confirming government control. The Africa Report said shops stayed shut, residents organised ad hoc security overnight, and communications returned after more than a week as federal patrols manned key sites. Fighting resumed Sept. 23 after seven armed and political groups formed an alliance seeking to oust Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed — collapsing the fragile calm that followed the 2022 Pretoria deal that ended a war African Union estimates left more than 600,000 dead.

Regional diplomacy is racing the guns. Ethiopia has accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of backing the opposition coalition; Khartoum and Cairo deny involvement, and Eritrea has severed diplomatic ties with Addis Ababa over the charges. On Sunday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was set to meet leaders from Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan in El-Alamein, urging “dialogue, not confrontation.” The U.S. State Department on Saturday called on Ethiopia and Eritrea to exercise restraint, warning tensions “have the potential to affect the entire region.”

TPLF leader Debretsion Gebremichael has signalled a return to guerrilla tactics after abandoning Mekelle — the same pattern that followed the city’s fall in 2020 before rebels retook it a year later. For Canada and other donors still funding recovery from the last war, Sunday’s seizure is less a clean victory than a reminder that the Horn’s deadliest recent conflict can reignite faster than peace architectures can hold.

Sources: Al Jazeera / AFP / Reuters; The Africa Report.