The Tigray People’s Liberation Front, known as TPLF, has taken control of the airport in Mekelle, the capital of the Tigray regional administration in northern Ethiopia, after Ethiopian federal forces withdrew from the airport.
TPLF forces returned to the key location at a time when the security situation in northern Ethiopia has once again come under pressure from military movements and political tensions.
Mekelle airport is a strategic location important for connecting the city with other areas of Tigray, and it also plays an important role in the activities of parties involved in the region’s security situation.
TPLF forces focused on Mekelle airport, which had previously been among the sites Ethiopian federal forces took over from TPLF during the Tigray war.
Federal forces had earlier been able to take control of Mekelle city and other important centers, but the subsequent fighting and military changes in the region led to control of many areas repeatedly changing hands between the sides.
Mekelle airport is important to activity across northern Ethiopia, since it serves as a route used by people and aircraft connecting Tigray with other parts of the country.
The withdrawal of federal forces from the airport allowed TPLF to retake control of the site, with the front’s forces now holding the key facility.
Security sources who spoke to the AFP news agency said TPLF has renewed the attacks it is carrying out against federal forces.
This military development comes at a time when Ethiopia’s political situation is once again taking on new dimensions, particularly after groups and organizations emerged saying they want to unite to oppose the policies of the government led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
Tigray had long been a place where political and military disagreements persisted between Ethiopia’s Federal Government and the regional administration.
The Tigray war broke out in November 2020, after heavy fighting erupted between the Federal Government and TPLF.
Ethiopian federal forces entered Mekelle city on November 28, 2020, at which point the Federal Government said it had taken control of Tigray’s capital.
The war caused widespread destruction and heavy losses for the population, and also forced millions of people to be displaced from their areas.
The Tigray war was ultimately ended by a peace agreement the two sides signed in Pretoria, South Africa, in November 2022.
That agreement produced a ceasefire and a reduction in large-scale fighting, but political disagreements and issues related to the administration and security of Tigray have persisted.
The new military activity reported from Mekelle is now raising concern that the earlier tensions could return to the region once again.
TPLF’s activities come at a time when there are political groups and organizations that have announced they want to form an alliance against the government led by Abiy Ahmed.
The alliance and opposition movements are based on varying political views, but some of the united factions are criticizing the government’s policies for the country and its approach to handling disputes in the regions.
For its part, the Ethiopian government still faces security and political challenges present in various parts of the country.
Mekelle Airport is an important hub for connectivity to Tigray, and control over it could affect the movement of people, air transport and other operations in the region.
TPLF’s takeover of the airport could also indicate a change in the security situation in Mekelle city, with attention now on the next steps federal forces will take and how they will respond to TPLF’s renewed activities.
The situation remains fluid, and it is important to closely follow developments coming out of Mekelle and Tigray region as a whole.
The war that began in Tigray in 2020 previously became one of the most devastating conflicts in Ethiopia, and the 2022 peace agreement ended the large-scale fighting.
However, the new developments reported from Mekelle are once again drawing attention to the political and security situation in northern Ethiopia.