Government-aligned Ethiopian forces said on Friday that they had taken control of the airport in Mekelle, the capital of the northern Tigray region, following a counter-offensive against rebel forces, as fears grow that renewed clashes could develop into a broader war. The Tigray Peace Force said in a post on X: “We have fully taken control of Alula Aba Nega Airport in Mekelle.”
Mekelle airport control announced
The airport is about 10 kilometres outside the city, but the group’s claim to have taken control of it could not be independently verified. Armed groups allied with the federal government had earlier on Friday announced that they were advancing towards Mekelle, the rebels’ main stronghold in Tigray.
The reported advance comes amid growing concern that the fighting could spread, following Ethiopia and Eritrea’s severing of diplomatic ties. In another battlefield development, the government-aligned Tigray Peace Forces said in a Facebook post that they had taken control of the town of Milazat, about 20 kilometres south-east of Mekelle, the region’s main city.
Social media platforms circulated footage said to have been filmed in Milazat, showing fighters from the group on a blue truck chanting, “Mekelle! Mekelle!” The footage and its filming location could not be independently verified.
Army advances and fighting intensify in Tigray
The Ethiopian army and allied fighters have made rapid advances into Tigray since fighting broke out last week with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. The current clashes represent the biggest escalation in violence since the civil war that engulfed the region between 2020 and 2022. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front is a rebel alliance led by the region’s ruling party.
Before the latest clashes broke out, the Front formed an alliance with six other armed Ethiopian groups that say their aim is to overthrow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government. The Front and its allies made some initial gains in the Ethiopian regions of Amhara and Afar, which border Tigray.
Government-aligned forces, however, say those gains have largely been reversed as the army and its allies move into the region. Spokespeople for the Ethiopian army, the government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front did not respond to requests for comment on the reported battlefield advances, including the claims of control over the airport and Milazat.
Ethiopia-Eritrea tensions
Eritrea has expressed concern that Ethiopia could attempt to seize the port of Assab by force, while Abiy Ahmed says his country intends to secure access to the sea by peaceful means.
