Mekelle Airport Recaptured

Ethiopian Federal Forces Retake Mekelle Airport From Tigrayan Fighters Amid Rising Tensions

Ethiopian federal forces have reportedly taken back the airport in Mekelle, the capital of the northern Tigray region, from Tigrayan fighters, reversing a takeover that led to the suspension of commercial flights. The airport was taken by Tigrayans on September 23, causing Ethiopian Airlines to suspend flights to Mekelelle and the other Tigray cities of Axum and Shire. The situation remains unclear as both the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front have not commented on the reported capture. This comes amid a sharp deterioration in relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea, with Ethiopia ordering 10 Eritrean diplomats to leave and the closure of its embassy in Eritrea. The renewed hostilities have undermined the November 2022 Pretoria peace agreement that ended two years of war between federal forces and the TPLF.

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