Tigrayan Forces Reportedly Seize Mekelle Airport as Ethiopia Tensions Escalate

By Staff, Agencies

Forces in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region have reportedly taken control of Mekelle airport, prompting state-owned Ethiopian Airlines to suspend flights to three destinations and raising fears of renewed large-scale fighting nearly four years after a peace agreement ended the region’s devastating civil war.

Ethiopian Airlines announced Wednesday that it had suspended services to Mekelle, Shire and Axum “due to the current situation in Tigray region.” The carrier did not provide further details and said it would announce when flights could resume.

Two local sources told Reuters that Tigrayan forces seized Mekelle airport from federal police during an overnight operation. The Ethiopian federal government has not publicly commented on the reported takeover.

Tigray’s regional government said Wednesday that its forces had entered a defensive war against federal troops, accusing Addis Ababa of launching a ground offensive following air and artillery strikes on parts of Tigray on Tuesday. The claims could not be independently verified from the supplied report.

The escalation comes days after seven Ethiopian armed groups, including the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), announced an alliance seeking to overthrow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and establish a transitional administration.

The coalition accused the ruling Prosperity Party of “dictatorial” rule and pushing Ethiopia toward disintegration.

Abiy’s spokesperson, Billene Seyoum, accused the alliance of collaborating with neighboring Eritrea and receiving financial backing from Asmara. Eritrean authorities have repeatedly denied supporting the armed groups.

The latest tensions threaten the fragile peace established by the 2022 agreement that ended the two-year Tigray war between federal forces and the TPLF, a conflict that killed hundreds of thousands of people.

Recent clashes and reported drone strikes have raised concerns of a return to war, with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warning last month that Ethiopia was nearing renewed conflict.

Ethiopian Airlines had also suspended flights to Tigray in January amid reports of renewed military activity. The latest disruption underscores the growing security concerns in the region as federal and Tigrayan forces face renewed confrontation.