Ethiopian federal forces and allied fighters were reported in control of Mekelle on Sunday after the TPLF said it had withdrawn from the Tigray capital.
Ethiopian government forces and allied militias were in control of Mekelle, the capital of Tigray, on Sunday, three sources told Reuters. The Tigray People's Liberation Front said on Facebook that it had retreated from the capital and that the regional government would temporarily operate from somewhere else.
A source close to the pro-government Tigray Peace Forces told Reuters its fighters entered central Mekelle on Saturday afternoon, followed by the Ethiopian military. A humanitarian source and a Mekelle resident, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed government control of the city. Al Jazeera cited a humanitarian source who 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 the city.
The prime minister's office did not immediately respond to Reuters. Al Jazeera reported that federal troops and allied fighters were seen in control after capturing the main regional airport.
Fighting resumed on 23 September after seven armed and political groups announced an alliance aimed at removing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and setting up a transitional administration, Al Jazeera reported. Loss of Mekelle is a major setback for the TPLF-led alliance, which Reuters said had launched an offensive against the federal military that day.
Neither Reuters nor Al Jazeera published a full casualty count for the entry into the city in the Sunday reports. The accounts rely on the TPLF statement and unnamed local and humanitarian sources rather than an on-the-record federal confirmation.