Mekelle Falls as Tigray War Fears Return

Ethiopian federal forces have taken control of Mekelle, the capital of the Tigray region, after renewed fighting with the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) began on September 23. Federal troops entered the city on Saturday without resistance as TPLF leaders and forces withdrew. By Sunday, troops were patrolling and guarding key institutions, and communications had been restored after more than a week. Residents described closed businesses, precautionary moves to protect stock, and the need to organize their own security in the absence of police. Some welcomed the reduced intensity of fighting but feared the conflict would continue. The military developments are raising concern that the fighting could spread beyond Ethiopia, particularly into neighboring Eritrea. Egypt, Somalia, Sudan, and Eritrea—countries with difficult relations with Ethiopia—held a meeting in El-Alamein, Egypt. Their leaders called for disputes to be addressed peacefully and for respect for international law and non-interference. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi also urged dialogue on cross-border issues, including shared natural resources and rivers. The statement's opposition to unilateral measures affecting downstream countries reflects longstanding tensions over Ethiopia's Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Egypt and Ethiopia have also recently expelled members of each other's diplomatic missions. Egypt denied involvement in the Ethiopian conflict, calling it a domestic crisis. Eritrea is described as the neighbor most directly implicated: it fears Ethiopia may seek access to its coastline, while analysts say it has supported the TPLF to keep the fighting away from its border. The article places the latest conflict in the context of the TPLF's political history and the devastating 2020–2022 civil war, which the African Union says killed more than 600,000 people. Although the 2022 Pretoria peace agreement helped maintain a degree of calm, it was never fully implemented. TPLF leader Debretsion Gebremichael has suggested the group may resume guerrilla attacks, as it did after Mekelle fell to federal forces in 2020.

Ethiopian federal forces and allied fighters have taken control of Mekelle after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) withdrew, renewing fears of a return to the devastating 2020–22 Tigray war. The TPLF says it moved its regional administration elsewhere temporarily to limit destruction and intends to continue the conflict from other positions. Federal-aligned forces reportedly took key sites, including the airport. Ethiopia’s government views the capture as a step towards restoring federal authority and says preparations are under way for a new interim administration and regional elections. The renewed fighting follows the unresolved aftermath of the November 2022 Pretoria agreement, which ended large-scale conflict but left disputes over territory, displaced people’s return and the disarmament of Tigrayan forces unsettled. The TPLF says the agreement has effectively collapsed; the federal government rejects that claim and accuses the TPLF of undermining the peace process. Reports of clashes, drone strikes and troop movements have heightened tensions. Anxieties extend beyond Tigray. Residents in Addis Ababa reported hearing explosions, including near military headquarters, and an opposition-linked source claimed responsibility for drone attacks, a claim that could not be independently verified. The article also describes fighting spreading into Afar and a sharp deterioration in Ethiopia–Eritrea relations. Ethiopia expelled Eritrean diplomats and closed its embassy in Asmara; Eritrea then severed diplomatic relations. Residents interviewed by Al Jazeera fear renewed displacement, economic hardship and civilian deaths. Some worry the conflict could broaden nationally or regionally, with one student invoking Sudan’s ongoing war. The article concludes with civilians’ memories of the previous conflict and concern that ordinary people will again bear its costs.

Leaders from Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan issued a joint declaration after meeting in New Alamein City, Egypt, on October 4, as conflicts and political tensions intensified across the region. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan called for political and peaceful solutions. The declaration backed Sudan’s military-led government and called for a political process led by Sudanese parties, while also stating that control of the Red Sea should remain with its coastal states. These positions appear to challenge Ethiopia’s pursuit of sovereign access to the sea and a naval presence, as well as its regional influence. Ethiopia has accused Egypt, Eritrea and Sudan of supporting an armed alliance against its government; all three countries deny involvement. Egypt and Sudan also reiterated opposition to unilateral measures affecting downstream states in connection with Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. The declaration came as fighting escalated in Ethiopia between federal forces and a seven-group armed alliance that includes the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). Government and allied forces retook Mekelle on Sunday, after the TPLF said it had temporarily moved out of the regional capital. Ethiopian state media reported that former interim leader Abraham Belay said the federal government was preparing a temporary regional administration and hoped to hold elections within months. Ethiopia has also accused Eritrea of directly supporting the rebels. Eritrea’s information minister rejected the accusation’s implications, saying Ethiopia was trying to create a pretext for an attack. The leaders’ call for dialogue therefore comes amid overlapping disputes over Sudan’s war, Ethiopia’s internal conflict, Red Sea access and the Nile dam.

TPLF forces have temporarily withdrawn from Mekelle, the capital of Ethiopia’s Tigray region, as fighting with national forces approaches the city. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front said it left because of risks to civilians, while its chairman, Debretsion Gebremichael, described the withdrawal as a strategic decision and said the group would continue its activities elsewhere. Residents told the BBC that government-aligned forces now control Mekelle and that mobile phone services have returned. A doctor in the city reported relative calm after the withdrawal, though there were isolated gunfire incidents and looting. Markets and restaurants reopened, but some food supplies remained unavailable. The fighting is part of a renewed deterioration in relations following the 2020–2022 Tigray civil war, which ended with the African Union-brokered Pretoria Agreement. The article says both sides have accused one another of violating the agreement. The TPLF recently joined six other armed movements, including the Fano militia, in an alliance seeking to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government. The earlier war caused an estimated 600,000 deaths and brought the region close to famine. The conflict is also heightening regional tensions. Ethiopia and Eritrea have severed diplomatic relations, while Ethiopia has accused Eritrea, Egypt and Sudan of supporting Tigrayan rebels; those countries deny the allegations. Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan’s leaders met in El-Alamein and called for respect for sovereignty and peaceful dispute resolution. Their statement also addressed Nile water use, against the backdrop of Egypt’s long-running dispute with Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. The United Nations has warned that insecurity is disrupting humanitarian work and urged all sides to ensure safe access to people in need.

The France 24 item reports that pro-government forces in Ethiopia said they had regained control of the capital of Tigray on Sunday. The development represents a major setback for the opposition alliance that governs the northern region, according to the brief description accompanying the video. The headline says rebels pulled out, though the supplied text provides no further account of their withdrawal or the circumstances surrounding the change in control. The available article text is very limited: it does not identify the capital by name, specify which pro-government forces made the announcement, name the opposition alliance, or explain how control was retaken. It also gives no details about casualties, damage, civilian conditions, or the response from either side. The video itself is not available in the supplied material, so its contents cannot be used to add context. The item is dated October 5, 2026, and was issued at 14:57. Overall, it presents a concise report of a claimed territorial change in the Tigray conflict, rather than a detailed account of the event or its broader implications.

Airstrikes and artillery fire struck parts of Ethiopia’s Tigray region overnight into Monday, according to aid sources, amid nearly two weeks of renewed fighting between federal government forces and Tigrayan rebels. A humanitarian bulletin said air attacks killed at least 17 people northwest of Mekelle, the regional capital, which federal Ethiopian National Defence Force soldiers captured over the weekend. The bulletin also reported artillery exchanges between government forces and fighters aligned with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). Reuters said it could not independently verify the reports, and officials from the Ethiopian government, military and TPLF had not immediately commented. The bulletin attributed at least nine deaths to airstrikes in Adwa and eight in Sheraro, but did not identify who carried out the attacks. A separate aid worker confirmed strikes in Adwa but could not provide casualty details. Heavy artillery exchanges were also reported near the Tekeze River and the town of Mai Tsebri. Meanwhile, residents said daily life in Mekelle was returning to normal, with shops reopening and phone and internet service restored after a week-long disruption. The renewed violence, which began on September 23, is described as the most serious escalation since the 2020–2022 civil war in Tigray, which caused hundreds of thousands of deaths. In that conflict, federal forces initially took Mekelle, but the TPLF recaptured it seven months later. Analysts fear the current fighting could widen. Ethiopia has accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of backing the armed opposition; all three deny the allegations. Ethiopia and Eritrea severed diplomatic ties the previous week. Regional tensions are heightened as Ethiopian forces move north toward Eritrea. Eritrean troops fought alongside Ethiopia’s federal government in the earlier Tigray war, but relations have since deteriorated, partly over Ethiopia’s stated interest in gaining sea access. Eritrea fears Ethiopia could seek to seize its Assab port, while Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed says sea access will be pursued peacefully. The US State Department urged Ethiopia and Eritrea to exercise restraint, warning that conflict would jeopardize US cooperation with both countries.