Ethiopia government forces have retaken the airport in Mekelle, the capital of the northern Tigray region, as a renewed armed conflict expands across northern Ethiopia and displaces civilians. Residents confirmed to Reuters on Friday that federal forces are closing in on the city, while an armed group aligned with the government claimed close to full control of the region.
The latest fighting follows the collapse of a 2022 peace deal that had ended years of devastating conflict between the federal government and forces from Tigray.
Federal Advance on Mekelle and Tigray Peace Forces Claims
Federal forces and aligned militias have advanced rapidly into Tigray since hostilities resumed in September. The commander of the Tigray Peace Forces (TPF) declared on social media that Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) forces had been wiped out, an assertion Al Jazeera noted could not be immediately verified. TPLF chairperson Debretsion Gebremichael acknowledged that federal forces have occupied parts of the region but stated that his forces would counter-attack in due course.
Al Jazeera Arabic Ethiopia Bureau Chief Mohammed Taha Tawakel reported that the federal army is providing full support to the TPF, though the original TPLF still holds several towns and maintains strong links along the Eritrean border. This dynamic raises the prospect of the conflict increasingly turning into an internal struggle among Tigrayans themselves, according to reporting highlighted by Al Jazeera.
Regional Spats and International Warnings from Amnesty International
The renewed violence has stretched beyond southern Tigray into the neighboring Amhara and Afar regions, prompting Amnesty International to demand an emergency session of the African Union Peace and Security Council. Amnesty’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, warned that the African Union cannot wait for mass atrocities or surging civilian casualties to act as the conflict expands.
Amnesty International reported receiving credible accounts of civilian infrastructure destroyed by shelling and air strikes, alongside intensified forced conscription. The organization also criticized the disruption of communications in conflict-affected areas, a pattern that isolates civilians from life-saving information. Meanwhile, Ethiopian military officials have accused Eritrea, Egypt, and Sudan of supporting the fighting alliance, leading to tit-for-tat diplomat expulsions. Eritrea and Egypt have denied backing efforts to destabilise Ethiopia, while the African Union has called for maximum restraint among the nations.
Pastoral Appeal for Peace from Ethiopian Catholic Bishops
Amid the advancing frontlines, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Ethiopia (CBCE) issued a pastoral appeal on Thursday urging all parties to choose dialogue over weapons. Echoing an appeal made by Pope Leo XIV during his Sunday Angelus, the bishops stated that armed conflict only deepens divisions and multiplies suffering for vulnerable populations, including children, women, the elderly, and the sick.
“Rather than resolving differences, war serves only to deepen divisions and multiplies suffering,” the bishops wrote in their statement reported by Vatican News. The Catholic Church called on the faithful to persevere in prayer and fasting, emphasizing that a lasting peace must be rooted in truth, justice, forgiveness, and reconciliation.
Allegations of Foreign Involvement and Defensive Operations
Tigray President Dr. Debretsion Gebremichael held a press conference on Thursday alleging that the United Arab Emirates and other foreign actors are involved in the renewed offensive. Dr. Debretsion framed the fighting as part of a wider geopolitical struggle tied to the war in Sudan and control over the Red Sea, asserting that Tigrayan forces are currently executing defensive operations before launching full-scale counter-attacks alongside the broader Ethiopian People’s Forces Cooperation for Survival alliance.
The conflict has severely impacted humanitarian operations in a region of six to seven million people. Al Jazeera reported that aid agencies, including the United Nations, are struggling to maintain access amid electricity cuts and internet blackouts, while civilians flee toward Amhara and Afar to escape urban combat.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Conflict in Tigray
Who belongs to the new opposition alliance in Ethiopia?
The alliance, announced on September 20, 2026, is called the Ethiopian People’s Forces Cooperation for Survival and includes seven political and armed groups: the TPLF, the Amhara Fano National Movement, the Oromo Liberation Army, the Ogaden National Liberation Front, the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Front, the Benishangul Peoples’ Liberation Movement, and the Gumuz Peoples’ Democratic Movement, as reported by DNE Africa.
How are humanitarian operations functioning in Tigray?
Aid agencies, including the United Nations, have managed to relocate some operations to newly secured areas to maintain a minimum level of assistance, according to Al Jazeera, though millions remain affected by total communications blackouts, electricity cuts, and a lack of internet access.
What is the position of the African Union regarding the renewed fighting?
Amnesty International reported that the African Union served as a guarantor of the 2022 ceasefire agreement that has now collapsed, prompting demands from human rights monitors for the AU Peace and Security Council to urgently convene an emergency session to protect civilians and address the expanding conflict.
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