The Ethiopian government forces have announced that they are conducting clearing operations inside Mekelle, the capital of the Tigray region, according to Reuters.
AFP, meanwhile, reported that Ethiopian government forces and allied fighters were also in control of Mekelle’s Alula Aba Nega Airport for a second day, while government offices and other facilities in the city had been left largely unattended after TPLF forces withdrew.
The AFP report said the government-aligned forces’ takeover of Mekelle’s airport represented a major setback for the TPLF, which had recently resumed fighting in an attempt to regain control of Tigray and put pressure on Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government.
The situation that had appeared to threaten Abiy’s government after the TPLF resumed fighting on September 23 now appears to have shifted, with government forces pushing back the TPLF and its allied groups.
The TPLF has reportedly withdrawn toward rural and mountainous areas of Tigray, while its earlier gains in the Afar region have also been reversed.
The conflict could take another turn if Ethiopian forces move toward the Eritrean border. Adigrat, one of the major Ethiopian cities closest to Eritrea, is strategically important as a route toward Eritrea and the Red Sea.
This could increase pressure on Eritrea, which the Ethiopian government has accused of supporting the TPLF—an allegation Eritrea denies. Ethiopia and Eritrea have since severed diplomatic ties.
