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Ethiopian federal forces reportedly recaptured Alula Aba Nega Airport in Mekelle after TPLF fighters seized it, but the circumstances of the transfer remained unclear amid severe communication disruptions and uncertainty over control of the city. The reported change followed renewed tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea, with the African Union warning that the conflict could threaten Ethiopia's 2022 peace agreement and worsen hardship for civilians in Tigray.
It wasn't immediately clear when the federal forces recaptured Alula Aba Nega Airport. Those who provided the information declined to be identified for fear of retribution amid uncertainty over who controlled the city.
Severe disruptions to internet and cellphone networks have made gathering and verifying information from Tigray difficult. Details of how the airport changed hands, including whether fighting took place there, remained unclear. Neither the Ethiopian government nor the Tigray People's Liberation Front, or TPLF, had commented on the airport's reported capture. It wasn't clear who controlled Mekelle itself.
An AP contributor in the city said that residents feared looting amid the uncertainty. TPLF fighters seized the airport on Sept. 23, prompting Ethiopian Airlines to suspend flights to Mekelle and the Tigrayan cities of Axum and Shire. The African Union urged restraint, warning that renewed tensions threatened the peace agreement signed in 2022. Federal troops are fighting alongside allied Tigrayan forces against the TPLF.
The AP previously reported that the Tigray Peace Force, a breakaway faction of the Tigrayan rebels, was operating alongside federal forces in the neighboring Afar region. The reported change in control follows a sharp deterioration in relations between Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea. Ethiopia on Thursday ordered to leave and announced the closure of its embassy in Eritrea. Eritrea said that it would sever diplomatic ties.
, an allegation Eritrea has denied. The fighting has brought renewed hardship to civilians still recovering from the previous 2020-2022 war. Residents of Mekelle told the AP earlier this week that communications, banking and other essential services had been disrupted.following the suspension of flights. They also reported that roads connecting Tigray and Afar had been closed to civilian traffic, although the AP couldn't independently verify the closures.that ended two years of war between federal forces and the TPLF.
Eritrean troops fought alongside Ethiopia's military during that conflict.seeking to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government. The extent of their military coordination remains unclear. FILE - An Ethiopian flag is seen in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on May 5, 2022. - The Associated Press
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