Government forces in Ethiopia said they have recaptured an airport in Tigray's capital that was seized by rebel groups last week, in the northern region's worst outbreak of violence since a bloody civil war ended in 2022.

Several news agencies cited anonymous government sources on Saturday as saying Ethiopian federal forces now control Alula Aba Nega Airport in Mekelle.

"The military is in full control of the airport. That much I can confirm," an Ethiopian general told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The AFP news agency, citing a "humanitarian source," reported rebel groups were leaving the city as Ethiopian government forces moved in.

Neither side has issued an official statement on the status of who controls Mekelle, and reporting is complicated by communication blackouts and restricted media access.

Return to civil war?

Pulling out of Tigray's capital would be a setback for the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which recently aligned with several other armed opposition groups in northern Ethiopia.

The TPLF has been the dominant force in Tigray since ousting a government-appointed administration earlier this year, and then appointing former wartime regional leader Debretsion Gebremichael as regional president.

The Addis Ababa-based government's Ethiopian National Defense Force has been fighting off a renewed rebel offensive since late September.

The TPLF seized the airport in Mekelle on September 23, along with launching attacks on government positions in the neighboring regions of Afar and Amhara, initially having made gains before being pushed back this week.

Gebremichael issued a statement on Thursday, promising to continue guerrilla attacks on government forces, similar to what took place when rebels lost control of Mekelle in 2020.

The TPLF, which ruled Ethiopia from 1991 to 2018, seeks to topple Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government. More than 600,000 people were killed in a civil war from 2020 to 2022.

 

Fears of wider regional unrest

The renewed unrest in northern Ethiopia has led to tensions spilling across the region, with fears of wider regional conflict in the Horn of Africa.

For years, Ethiopia has accused its northern neighbor Eritrea of providing support to Tigray rebels, alongside Sudan and Egypt. All three countries deny this.

Last week, Ethiopia and Eritrea cut diplomatic ties, with both countries expelling diplomats and closing embassies.

The African Union said it was concerned by the growing tensions between Ethiopia, Eritrea and Egypt, and has called on all sides to show maximum restraint.

Eritrea accuses landlocked Ethiopia of planning to invade and seize access to the Red Sea

The TPLF's Debretsion said in his video message that "the war is regional and it is a war to control the Red Sea."

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Edited by: Sean Sinico