World Affairs
Reports say Ethiopian forces retook Mekelle airport; control of Tigray capital remains unclear
The airport was seized on September 23 and Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to Tigray. Communications outages and the absence of official confirmation complicate accounts of the latest shift.
Executive summary
- What reporting says about the airport: Residents in Mekelle told The Associated Press that Ethiopian federal forces had retaken Alula Aba Nega Airport. Reuters separately cited three sources who said federal troops regained the airport; the Tigray Peace Forces, a militia allied with the government, also claimed it had taken control. Reuters said it could not independently verify the assertions.[1][2][3]
- The city’s status is unresolved: AP said it was unclear who controlled Mekelle and neither the Ethiopian government nor the Tigray People’s Liberation Front had commented on the reported airport recapture. Al Jazeera, citing AFP and Reuters, said federal forces had not yet been seen inside the city. Communications disruptions have made independent reporting difficult.[1][4][2]
- Flights remain a separate question: Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to Mekelle, Axum and Shire after Tigrayan fighters took the airport on September 23. The reports of a recapture do not establish that scheduled flights have resumed; no resumption notice was identified in the sources reviewed.[1][2]
Residents in Mekelle told The Associated Press on Saturday that Ethiopian federal forces had retaken Alula Aba Nega Airport, the regional capital’s main airport. Reuters separately reported that three sources said federal troops had regained the facility. A militia aligned with the federal government, the Tigray Peace Forces, also claimed the airport and said it was moving into the city. Reuters said it could not independently verify the claims; AP said its sources were not identified because they feared reprisals.[1][2][3]
The reports do not establish that federal forces control Mekelle itself. AP said it was unclear who controlled the city, and that neither the Ethiopian government nor the Tigray People’s Liberation Front had commented on the airport’s reported capture. Al Jazeera, drawing on Reuters and AFP reporting, said a local journalist and residents saw Tigrayan fighters leaving but that federal forces had not yet been seen inside Mekelle. The outlets also reported major communications disruptions that hindered verification.[1][4][2]
Tigrayan fighters seized the airport on September 23 during the renewed fighting, according to the Associated Press. Ethiopian Airlines said it suspended service to Mekelle, Axum and Shire because of the security situation. The airline did not announce a restart in the reporting reviewed for this article, so a reported change in control should not be read as proof that civilian air service is operating again.[1]
The airport’s position outside Mekelle makes it a distinct military and transport site, but the latest accounts do not describe when it changed hands, whether fighting occurred there, or the condition of the facilities. Reuters reported a source’s account of gunfire outside the city and alleged looting; those details have not been independently established in the sources reviewed.[2][1]
The airport reports come amid a renewed federal-TPLF conflict that AP and Reuters describe as the most serious escalation since Ethiopia’s 2020–2022 war. AP reported that residents had already faced disruptions to communications, banking and other services. It also said Ethiopia had ordered Eritrean diplomats to leave and announced the closure of its embassy in Eritrea, while Eritrea said it would sever diplomatic ties; Ethiopia’s accusations about Eritrean support for the TPLF have been denied.[1][2]
For now, the strongest supported conclusion is narrower than a city takeover: residents and multiple news organizations report that federal forces regained the airport, while independent confirmation and official comment remain absent. The outlets’ accounts leave the status of Mekelle’s streets, the fate of scheduled flights and the broader front line unresolved.[1][4][2]