The advance gave federal troops control of a crucial transport hub serving Mekelle as Tigrayan forces pulled back from positions around the city. The whereabouts of senior TPLF figures were not immediately clear, while communications disruptions and restrictions on access complicated independent verification of developments across the regional capital.
Federal authorities said their forces had secured the airport and expanded their presence in Mekelle. Tigrayan leaders acknowledged a withdrawal but portrayed the movement as a tactical decision rather than a collapse of their forces. The competing accounts could not immediately be independently reconciled.
The seizure raises fresh questions over control of Tigray and the durability of the peace framework that ended the devastating 2020-22 conflict. The Pretoria agreement, signed in November 2022 by Ethiopia’s federal government and the TPLF, halted large-scale hostilities after a war that killed large numbers of people, displaced millions and left much of northern Ethiopia dependent on humanitarian assistance.
Mekelle has remained the political and administrative centre of Tigray and carries major strategic importance. Control of its airport provides federal forces with an important logistical position for moving personnel and supplies and potentially strengthens their ability to consolidate positions around the city.
Residents faced uncertainty as military movements intensified. Information from inside Mekelle remained limited, and humanitarian organisations have repeatedly warned that renewed warfare could disrupt aid deliveries and expose civilians already affected by years of conflict to further displacement, shortages and insecurity.
The latest fighting follows months of mounting tension between Addis Ababa and factions within Tigray’s political leadership. Divisions inside the TPLF, disputes over implementation of the Pretoria accord and unresolved questions involving territorial control and regional security arrangements have steadily strained the settlement.
A central element of the peace agreement was the disarmament of Tigrayan combatants and restoration of federal authority alongside arrangements for an interim regional administration. Implementation has proved uneven, with disagreements continuing over contested territories, displaced populations and the presence of armed forces in areas claimed by Tigray.
The renewed confrontation threatens to complicate efforts to complete those provisions. Federal officials have maintained that constitutional authority must operate throughout Ethiopia, while Tigrayan representatives have accused Addis Ababa of failing to fulfil important commitments made under the peace agreement.
The African Union, which facilitated the Pretoria negotiations, has repeatedly urged the parties to resolve outstanding disputes through dialogue and preserve the cessation of hostilities. Any sustained battle for Mekelle would place additional pressure on that diplomatic framework and could prompt stronger regional and international efforts to prevent a return to prolonged warfare.
Humanitarian concerns remain particularly acute. Tigray’s population endured severe shortages of food, medicine, fuel and basic services during the earlier conflict, when banking and telecommunications links were also interrupted for extended periods. Although access improved after the 2022 agreement, recovery has remained incomplete in many communities.
The airport is important beyond its military value because air connections have played a role in passenger movement and humanitarian operations. Disruption there could affect civilian travel and aid logistics depending on the duration and extent of military control and security restrictions.
Ethiopia’s earlier war in Tigray began in November 2020 following a sharp deterioration in relations between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s federal government and the TPLF, which had dominated Ethiopia’s governing coalition for nearly three decades before losing influence after Abiy took office in 2018.
Federal forces captured Mekelle within weeks of the conflict beginning, but Tigrayan fighters later regrouped and retook the city in June 2021. The war subsequently expanded beyond Tigray before negotiations eventually produced the Pretoria agreement.
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