TPLF fighters reported leaving Mekelle after pro-government forces take airport

Pro-government forces have taken control of Alula Aba Nega Airport, about 10 km from Mekelle, the capital of Ethiopia's Tigray region, according to France 24 and Al Jazeera. France 24, carrying AFP reporting, says the airport was seized on Friday 2 October and cites a statement by a pro-government Tigrayan militia. Al Jazeera cites two unnamed sources who spoke to Reuters. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi include no official federal government statement.

Fighters and leaders of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) were leaving Mekelle on Saturday 3 October, a local journalist and residents told AFP. "TPLF militants and leaders are leaving Mekelle," AFP quoted the unnamed journalist as saying. Al Jazeera said it could not independently confirm these claims. Federal forces had not yet been seen inside the city, according to the same journalist.

Government offices and police stations in Mekelle had been left without security personnel, France 24 reports. The reports do not say who now controls the city.

The current fighting began on 23 September. It involves the TPLF against federal forces and pro-government militias. The TPLF previously fought federal forces in the 2020-2022 civil war.

The government launched a counter-offensive along three axes towards Mekelle, according to the Critical Threats Project of the American Enterprise Institute, cited by both outlets. A humanitarian source told AFP on condition of anonymity that the TPLF had been entirely pushed out of Afar.

Eritrea has announced a break in diplomatic relations with Ethiopia. According to France 24, Ethiopia expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats and shut its embassy in Asmara on Thursday 1 October, and Eritrea responded that it would "sever all diplomatic ties".

What is disputed

• Who took the airport. The pro-government Tigrayan militia said it had "taken full control of Mekelle Alula Aba Nega Airport", France 24 reports. Al Jazeera, citing Reuters sources, says the Ethiopian National Defence Forces regained control. The accounts differ but do not necessarily contradict each other.
• Scope of the fighting. France 24 says the TPLF initially advanced in Afar and Amhara states. Al Jazeera says fighting has been concentrated in Tigray, with clashes on the borders with those states.

What each side says

• Ethiopia accuses Eritrea and Egypt of supporting the rebels. Al Jazeera adds that it also accuses Sudan. The reports do not describe evidence for these accusations.
• Eritrea denied involvement and accused Addis Ababa of "pursuing an agenda of incessant hostility", according to Al Jazeera. It said Ethiopia was planning to invade to secure Red Sea access.
• Egypt and Sudan have denied involvement, Al Jazeera reports.
• TPLF leader Debretsion Gebremichael said in a video published on Thursday that "the war is regional and it is a war to control the Red Sea".
• Mekelle residents voiced fears. "I am concerned that government and public property could be exposed to looting because there are no security forces in the city," one told AFP. The reports do not say whether any looting has occurred.

Neither the TPLF nor the government has commented on developments on the ground, according to Al Jazeera. It says media access is heavily restricted and that there have been significant communications blackouts. The reports include no casualty or displacement figures for the current fighting.

Analysis

The reported withdrawal rests on a single AFP account from unnamed sources, so its scale and purpose remain unclear. If confirmed, it could indicate a tactical retreat, a wider collapse of TPLF positions, or something in between; the reports do not say where the fighters are heading. An absence of security forces in Mekelle may leave civilians exposed until some authority is established. Separately, the diplomatic break between Ethiopia and Eritrea, alongside competing accusations over Red Sea access, raises the possibility of the conflict widening beyond Tigray. Equally, the parties could confine the dispute to diplomatic measures. Independent verification remains limited.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.