Federal forces and aligned local militias entered the Tigrayan capital of Mekelle after the TPLF withdrew from the city. The sudden retreat marks a major change in the escalating conflict, which has strained regional stability across northern Ethiopia since fighting resumed in late September.
Federal troops and local militia units entered the regional capital of Mekelle without meeting armed resistance on Saturday, as TPLF authorities and combatants from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front pulled back from their positions, according to local reporting documented by international broadcasters. The TPLF stated that the relocation of its forces aimed to protect civilians from the immediate hazards of urban combat as federal units advanced.
Residents inside Mekelle found government buildings and police stations abandoned by security personnel during the handover, noted by regional correspondents on the ground. Before entering the city proper, the pro-government Tigray Peace Force claimed full control over Alula Aba Nega Airport, situated roughly 10 kilometers outside the capital. Security forces also secured the southern town of Alamata and Alamata’s surrounding districts earlier in the week following pitched battles.
Communication Lines and Cautious Relief in Mekelle
Telecommunication services and mobile payment networks, severed since hostilities flared on September 23, began reconnecting across parts of Mekelle over the weekend. While the sudden de-escalation brought an initial sense of relief, residents walking through the streets expressed deep apprehension about the durability of the calm and the risk of a protracted regional war.
The easing of the war brings an immediate sense of relief,
Teodros told Monte Carlo Doualiya, but because it looks like it is taking on a regional character, I fear that the conflict will be prolonged.
While local Tigray Peace Force units manned intersections near regional government offices and police headquarters, federal army soldiers maintained a separate posture near the university and the Tigray Martyrs Monument. That landmark commemorates the TPLF’s 16-year struggle against the military-Marxist regime ousted in 1991. Between that victory and 2018, the TPLF held dominant political power in Addis Ababa before Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed assumed office and systematically sidelined the party.
Looting Concerns and the Breakdown of the Pretoria Agreement
The temporary vacuum left by the departing TPLF combatants triggered localized security risks before incoming federal and militia units established complete control. Groups of looters targeted government offices, police stations, and private homes in the city reported by local journalists. The Tigray Peace Force’s military-civilian administration utilized a captured local radio frequency to broadcast repeated appeals for calm, urging residents to avoid retaliatory acts against individuals or families who had supported the TPLF.
The current conflict shatters the fragile stability established by the 2022 Pretoria Agreement, a pact brokered by the African Union that ended a two-year civil war characterized by devastating humanitarian losses. Tensions mounted over the past six months as both federal authorities and regional leaders accused each other of violating the treaty. In September, the TPLF formed an anti-government coalition with six other armed groups, including the Fano militia from the Amhara region, with the stated objective of unseating Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s administration.
Federal Counter-Offensives Push Tigrayan Forces from Neighboring Regions
Parallel to the fighting inside Tigray, federal counter-offensives pushed TPLF fighters out of the neighboring Afar region following earlier rebel advances that seized towns including Abala, Erebti, and Megale. Conflict monitoring organizations noted that Tigrayan forces had deployed small drones against military infrastructure in other regions according to conflict researchers at ACLED, while explosions shook military headquarters and the Ministry of Defense in Addis Ababa.
The domestic fighting has triggered wider diplomatic fallout across the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia severed diplomatic relations with neighboring Eritrea after accusing Asmara of backing the newly formed rebel alliance, a charge Eritrea denied. Simultaneously, Addis Ababa expelled a diplomatic representative from Egypt, prompting Cairo to order an Ethiopian embassy official to depart within the same timeframe. Foreign missions, including Qatar’s embassy in Addis Ababa, have issued urgent advisories urging their citizens to avoid non-essential travel outside the capital as the security situation remains volatile.
