Africa · 03 October, 2026 · 2 min read
Ethiopia’s Federal Army Recaptures Mekelle Airport From Tigray Rebels
Ethiopian National Defence Forces recaptured Alula Aba Nega Airport in Mekelle from Tigray rebels. Rebels were seen leaving Mekelle after the airport retake, according to reports.
13 outlets told this the same way.
Outlets did split on Ethiopian Army Repels Attack Near Abera as Tigray People’s Liberation Front Declares Total War →
8 of 9 outlets skipped it: drone flights around Addis Ababa were prohibited.
13outlets compared
Airport Retaken in Mekelle
Ethiopia’s federal army and pro-government fighters recaptured the main airport in Mekelle, with rebels seen leaving the city, according to multiple unnamed sources cited by Reuters. The Ethiopian National Defence Forces regained control of Alula Aba Nega Airport in Mekelle, one source with knowledge of events in the city and a humanitarian source told Reuters news agency on Saturday. The airport was about 10km from the centre of Mekelle, and it had been one of three airfields seized by rebel forces at the start of the fighting on September 23.
A local journalist and residents told AFP that the fighters and Tigray People’s Liberation Front leaders were retreating from the city, and the journalist added that federal forces had not yet been seen inside Mekelle. A resident told AFP, “I am concerned that government and public property could be exposed to looting because there are no security forces in the city,” as another resident said they feared lawlessness and for their life.
Diplomacy Turns to Retaliation
Ethiopia ordered the closure of its embassy in Eritrea and expelled ten Eritrean diplomats, giving them 48 hours to leave the country, as fighting between Ethiopian federal forces and an opposition alliance led by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front continued to intensify. Eritrea severed diplomatic ties in response, and Ethiopia then declared an Egyptian diplomat persona non grata, prompting Cairo to expel an Ethiopian embassy counsellor in return. Eritrean Minister of Information Yemani Meskel referred to the current tensions as a “declaration of war” by Ethiopia, as Ethiopia described Eritrea’s actions as “hostility and belligerence.”
A resident of Dessie, located about 250 kilometers north of Addis in Amhara State, told DW that even beyond Tigray, the northern region had been “greatly hurt, economically and in every other aspect.” Egypt’s Foreign Ministry spokesman summed up Cairo’s position with the line, “Reciprocity is the currency of diplomacy,” after Ethiopia expelled the Egyptian diplomat.
Regional War Fears and Stakes
Reuters said renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia between federal troops and a rebel alliance headed by Tigrayan forces risks a regional war because the Horn of Africa is “much more unstable.”
“This one is accelerated, and it is happening throughout the country.”
Reuters linked the danger to tangled alliances and rivalries, noting that Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea now find themselves on opposing sides after Eritrea severed diplomatic ties following Ethiopia’s embassy closure in Asmara.
Reuters also tied the escalation to Sudan’s conflict and to the involvement of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, with the UAE supported by United Nations experts as a backer of the Rapid Support Forces.
The Washington Post said the apparent drone strikes in Addis Ababa were a sign of how far and fast renewed fighting had spread, and it quoted Cameron Hudson saying, “This one is accelerated, and it is happening throughout the country.”
The Washington Post also reported that the U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia, Ervin J. Massinga, condemned the Tigray People’s Liberation Front for launching an “unwinnable” offensive, warning, “Other armed groups would be wise to avoid this.”