On Sunday, October 4, Ethiopian federal troops and allied fighters entered Mekelle after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front said it had withdrawn, marking a major government victory in the renewed conflict.
The TPLF announced late Saturday that its forces had temporarily left the capital and that its regional administration would operate from another location. A source close to the pro-government Tigray Peace Forces said allied fighters entered Mekelle’s center on Saturday afternoon, followed by federal troops. Residents and humanitarian workers also reported that government forces controlled parts of the city, although communications disruptions made independent verification difficult.
The federal side had earlier retaken Alula Aba Nega Airport, one of three airfields seized by Tigrayan forces when fighting erupted on September 23. Reports of abandoned government offices, police stations and possible looting raised fears of disorder as control shifted. The loss of Mekelle is a serious setback for the TPLF, which had regained the city during the 2020–2022 war before a peace agreement ended the fighting.
The latest clashes have effectively shattered that fragile settlement and revived fears of a broader war involving Ethiopia’s regional rivals and neighboring states.