Tigrayan Forces Seize Mekelle Airport, Prompting Ethiopian Airlines Flight Suspensions
- On Wednesday, Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to Mekelle, Axum, and Shire after Tigrayan forces seized the Mekelle airport from federal police, according to local sources.
- This suspension followed Sunday's announcement that the TPLF formed an alliance with six other armed groups across Ethiopia aimed at removing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
- The TPLF seized regional government control in May and fought federal forces during the 2020–2022 civil war, though both sides signed a peace deal in November 2022.
- Nearly 300 Tigrayan fighters surrendered last week, the military reported, even as drone strikes against Tigrayan forces have occurred in recent months according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project.
- Spokespeople for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the federal government, and the TPLF did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the airport seizure.
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102 Articles
Ethiopian Airlines cancels flights to Tigray capital as fighters take
FILE - Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali attends a session at the World Atomic Week forum at the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy (VDNKh) in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025. (Sergei Bulkin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)
Ethiopia: Tigray forces seize airports as fighting spreads to Afar
Tigrayan rebels in northern Ethiopia seized control of airports and battled federal troops in the neighbouring Afar region, multiple sources told AFP on Wednesday, as long-standing tensions spilled into open conflict.
For months there have been tensions and armed conflicts in the region of Tigray in northern Ethiopia. With the conquest of an important regional airport, the situation continues to worsen.
Flights to Mekelle, Aksum, Shire suspended as conflict renewed and new 7-group alliance against government fuel fears of return to civil war
TPLF fighters launch an offensive against the Federal Army in Afar and Amhara and take over Mekele airport in Tigray
Clashes are escalating in Ethiopia with the Tigray forces taking control of airports and their alliance with armed groups, amid signs of convergence with Eritrea that could extend the conflict to a regional scale.
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