Ethiopian militia claims success – airport captured

 

TT-AFP

 

Published 2026-10-02 23.11

 

Residents of Ethiopia's Tigray region have previously been forced to flee their homes for camps due to unrest and fighting. File photo. Photo: Alexander Mamo/AP/TT

Pro-government forces in Ethiopia claim to have captured the airport in Mekelle—the capital of Tigray—following a counter-offensive against rebel forces.

The militia group "Tigray Peace Force"—comprising fighters from the northern Tigray region who have allied themselves with the Ethiopian government—claims to have achieved success.

"We have taken full control of Mekelle Alula Aba Nega Airport," the airport located about ten kilometers outside Mekelle, the militia wrote on X.

Reports of fierce fighting between government forces and rebel groups seeking independence for the region have been circulating for over a week, with clashes occurring on multiple fronts.

These events have raised concerns about a return to the devastating civil war fought between the Tigray People's Liberation Front and the central government's military from 2020 to 2022, a conflict that claimed the lives of approximately 600,000 people.