Pro-government forces in Ethiopia said on Friday they had seized the airport serving Mekelle, the capital of the northern Tigray region, as federal troops and their allies pressed deeper into rebel-held territory.
The Tigray Peace Force, an armed group aligned with the federal government, said its fighters had taken full control of Alula Aba Nega International Airport, around 10 kilometres outside Mekelle.
“We have taken complete control of Alula Aba Nega Airport in Mekelle,” the group said in a post on X cited by AFP.
The claim could not immediately be independently verified.
The airport is strategically significant because it provides the main air link to Mekelle and had reportedly fallen under the control of forces aligned with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, or TPLF, after renewed fighting erupted in northern Ethiopia in September. Commercial flights to Mekelle and other Tigrayan cities were subsequently suspended.
The reported seizure comes as Ethiopian federal forces and allied militias advance towards Mekelle following a series of gains across southern Tigray.
Residents and diplomatic sources told Reuters on Friday that government forces were approaching the regional capital, while shops and banks in Mekelle had shut amid fears of further fighting.
Earlier on Friday, Tigrayan forces also withdrew from neighbouring Afar following a counteroffensive by federal troops and government-aligned forces.
The latest advances follow the recapture of Alamata, a strategically important town in southern Tigray, by pro-government forces earlier this week. Reuters reported that federal troops and allied militias had taken the town after fighting on several fronts.
Alamata lies on a key route towards Mekelle and its loss marked one of the first major territorial setbacks for Tigrayan forces since the latest round of fighting began.
The renewed conflict has raised fears of a return to large-scale war in northern Ethiopia, nearly four years after a peace agreement ended the devastating 2020-2022 Tigray conflict.
The crisis has also taken on a broader regional dimension. Ethiopia has accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of supporting its opponents, allegations denied by the countries concerned, while deteriorating relations between Addis Ababa and Asmara have led to the closure of embassies and the expulsion of diplomats.
The African Union has called for restraint and dialogue as fighting spreads across parts of Tigray, Afar and Amhara and concerns grow that the confrontation could draw neighbouring states into a wider Horn of Africa conflict.
