️ Ethiopian federal forces have recaptured the Alula Aba Nega Airport in Mekelle, the capital of the northern Tigray region, reversing gains made by rebel factions last week. The intense clashes mark the most severe escalation of violence in the region since the conclusion of a devastating two-year civil war in late 2022 that claimed over 600,000 lives.

️ International news agencies, citing unnamed military commanders, reported that the Ethiopian National Defense Force established full control over the airport perimeter on Saturday. Humanitarian sources on the ground indicated that fighters from the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and allied opposition groups had begun retreating from urban positions as government troops advanced. Independent verification remains severely restricted due to ongoing telecommunications blackouts and stringent media access controls imposed in northern Ethiopia.

️ The withdrawal represents a major setback for the TPLF, which had launched a sweeping counter-offensive in late September across neighboring Afar and Amhara regions before seizing Mekelle's airfield on September 23. TPLF leader Debretsion Gebremichael issued a video message pledging to wage protracted guerrilla warfare against Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government, framing the revived confrontation as a regional struggle linked directly to strategic access to the Red Sea.

️ The resurgence of hostilities has rapidly spilled across international borders, stoking fears of a wider proxy confrontation in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia has repeatedly accused neighboring Eritrea, alongside Egypt and Sudan, of backing northern rebel forces—allegations all three nations firmly deny. The geopolitical fallout culminated last week in a complete rupture of diplomatic ties between Ethiopia and Eritrea, marked by the shuttering of embassies and the expulsion of envoys, prompting urgent appeals for de-escalation from the African Union.

Source: www.dw.com