Ethiopia’s federal forces and allied fighters were reported in control of Mekelle on Sunday after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front said it had temporarily withdrawn from the Tigray regional capital.
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front said late on Saturday that it had temporarily moved out of Mekelle and would operate from elsewhere, Al Jazeera reported. The statement followed an advance by Ethiopia’s federal army and allied fighters.
A source close to the pro-government Tigray Peace Forces told Reuters that its fighters entered the city centre on Saturday afternoon, with Ethiopian military personnel arriving later. A humanitarian source and a resident told Reuters the city was under government control.
A separate humanitarian source told AFP that staff on the ground said the TPLF had left the regional capital and that federal and allied forces had been seen in several parts of Mekelle. The federal side had earlier retaken the city’s main airport.
Fighting resumed on 23 September after seven armed and political groups announced an alliance aimed at removing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and installing a transitional administration.
Al Jazeera’s account relies on the TPLF statement and on unnamed sources cited by Reuters and AFP. Independent access to the city remained limited in the first reports.