Ethiopian Government Retakes Mekelle

Government-allied fighters entered Mekelle after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front said it withdrew forces from the Tigray regional capital. Residents said federal forces retook the airport, but disrupted communications made events difficult to verify. The fighting follows the 2022 peace agreement that ended Ethiopia’s devastating two-year Tigray civil war. Renewed tensions now threaten that deal. The TPLF said it pulled back because it feared risks to civilians. TPLF chairman Debretsion Gebremichael called the fighting a continuation of the previous war and said his forces would keep attacking and defending Tigray. The African Union urged restraint. Ethiopian Airlines had suspended flights to Mekelle, Axum and Shire.