DevelopingConflict · Ethiopia

Ethiopian government forces seize Tigray capital from rebels

First reported 2026-10-02 16:30 UTC · Updated 2026-10-04 13:37 UTC · 2 independent sources

What happened

Ethiopian government forces took control of Mekelle, the Tigray capital, after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front said it had withdrawn, TimesLIVE reported.

Federal forces also control Alula Aba Nega Airport in Mekelle, which rebel groups seized on September 23, according to anonymous government sources cited by DW.

The TPLF said the regional government would temporarily operate from another location after leaving Mekelle.

A pro-government militia source said its fighters entered central Mekelle on Saturday afternoon before the Ethiopian military arrived.

Neither side had issued an official statement confirming who controls Mekelle, amid communication blackouts and restricted media access, DW reported.

Summary written by AI from 2 independent sources (DW, TimesLIVE) and checked automatically against them for copied text and numbers that are not in the sources. How we work

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Who reported it

  1. 2026-10-04 03:48 UTCDW · dw.com ↗
  2. 2026-10-04 13:37 UTCTimesLIVE · timeslive.co.za ↗

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