Leaders of a rebellious political group in northern Ethiopia say they have withdrawn from the regional capital, allowing federal troops and allies to enter KAMPALA, Uganda -- Leaders of a rebellious political group in northern Ethiopia said they had withdrawn from the regional capital, clearing the way for the entry of federal troops and their allies following renewed fighting. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front, or TPLF, which last month seized the Mekelle airport and the city, one of Ethiopia’s largest, said in a statement Saturday that it had pulled out. It had done so in the previous two-year war, which ended with a peace agreement in 2022, apparently to spare the city from destruction.
Fighters loyal to the TPLF 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 2022 agreement. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has tried and failed to subdue Tigray’s rebellious leaders in recent months, with TPLF Chairman Debretsion Gebremichael openly challenging him.
Debretsion said Thursday that the fighting was a “continuation of the previous war” and that his fighters would keep attacking and defending Tigray from its enemies. After federal troops take control of Mekelle, Abiy is very likely to leave regional security in the hands of the Tigray Peace Force, which comprises former members of the TPLF armed wing, Tigray Defense Forces, according to Jalale Getachew Birru, an analyst of Ethiopia for ACLED, an independent global monitor that collects, analyzes and maps data on conflict. The Tigray Peace Force is fighting alongside federal troops against the TPLF.
Severe disruptions to internet and cellphone networks have made gathering and verifying information from Tigray difficult, although some connectivity was reported Sunday. Residents of Mekelle told The on Saturday that federal forces had retaken the airport, although details were scanty. Civilians looted government offices and hauled away equipment from police headquarters in Mekelle as TPLF-allied fighters withdrew, a local business owner, who witnessed the departures and looting, said Sunday.
The looting targeted the TPLF administration office, the regional police headquarters and some shops, Filmon Equar Hailu said. Speaking by phone from Mekelle, Filmon said he saw some TPLF-allied fighters with light weapons leaving the city, some on foot. Departures began in small groups about three days ago and continued through Saturday afternoon, he said.
Small groups of fighters from the Tigray Peace Force entered Mekelle, Filmon said, adding he heard celebratory gunfire overnight into Sunday morning. The TPLF is one of seven opposition groups that declared an alliance late last month whose objective is to remove Abiy. He rose to the premiership in 2018, and was reelected earlier this year.
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