Tigrayan forces have taken control of the main airport in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region, according to three local sources. The seizure of the Mekelle airport from federal police occurred overnight. This development has raised concerns of a new war in the region. The move is the latest escalation in the deteriorating relations between the federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which runs Tigray.
The TPLF and six other armed groups across Ethiopia announced on Sunday that they had formed an alliance aimed at overthrowing the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. This alliance has added to the tensions in the region. The federal government and the TPLF have been accusing each other of violating the Pretoria Agreement, a peace deal signed in November 2022 to end the conflict that resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths between 2020-2022.
Ethiopian Airlines has suspended flights to the regional capital Mekelle and the cities of Shire and Axum due to the current situation in Tigray region. The state-owned carrier announced this on social media without giving further details. Reuters could not immediately confirm the situation in Shire and Axum. The suspension of flights has added to the uncertainty in the region.
The grinding 2020-2022 war stemmed from a breakdown in relations between the TPLF, which dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades, and Abiy, whose appointment as prime minister in 2018 ended the TPLF's dominance. The two sides signed the Pretoria Agreement in November 2022 to end the conflict, but each has been accusing the other of violating the peace deal. In May, the TPLF seized control of the region's government from the interim administration established under the peace deal.
Abiy's spokesperson, Billene Seyoum, said on Monday that members of the newly announced alliance had been collaborating for a while with the financial backing of Ethiopia's neighbour and historic adversary Eritrea. Eritrea has repeatedly denied accusations it supports Ethiopian armed groups. The Ethiopian military has carried out several drone strikes against Tigrayan forces over recent months, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project.
On Tuesday, the US government condemned a recent drone strike on a Catholic Relief Services humanitarian assistance convoy in Tigray and urged authorities to conduct a full investigation. The drone strike on Sunday destroyed a truck carrying more than 41,000 tons of food aid destined for internally displaced people, according to a statement by the Catholic Eparchy of Adigrat in northern Tigray. The federal government has not commented on any of the reported strikes in Tigray.
Ethiopian political analyst Jawar Mohammed said he did not believe the TPLF had the confidence to launch a full-scale conflict. He said it could be flexing muscles to appeal to the international community to step in and activate the Pretoria Agreement more strongly. The situation in Tigray remains uncertain, with concerns of a new war rising.
Key points
- Tigrayan forces seize main airport in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region
- Ethiopian Airlines suspends flights to Mekelle, Shire, and Axum
- TPLF and six other armed groups form alliance to overthrow Abiy's government
