The advance comes amid fighting against an alliance seeking to overthrow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed\u2019s government<\/p>\n
Ethiopian government forces and allied fighters have retaken the capital of the northern Tigray region, which rebels seized less than two weeks ago.
\nFighters from the pro-government Tigray Peace Forces (TPF) announced in a post on Facebook on Sunday that they had \u201ccompletely taken control\u201d of Mekelle.
\nFootage shared by the TPF and dated October 3 shows armed men in military uniforms and vans moving through the streets, with horns sounding as people cheer. The forces entered the city center on Saturday afternoon, followed by federal troops, Reuters reported, citing a source close to the militia.
\nThe Tigray People\u2019s Liberation Front (TPLF), which governs the region, acknowledged its retreat in a statement posted on Facebook. It said the regional administration \u201chas decided to temporarily leave Mekelle and operate from another location, while our forces continue carrying out their military operations.\u201d
\nResidents reported looting of government offices during the withdrawal, while internet and cellphone disruptions have hampered verification of developments, AP reported.<\/p>\n
Federal troops also recovered Mekelle\u2019s airport, which TPLF fighters seized on September 23, prompting Ethiopian Airlines to suspend flights to the city and two other Tigrayan destinations.
\nThe East African country has struggled to secure lasting stability since an African Union-mediated peace agreement signed in November 2022 ended the two-year Tigray war, which killed hundreds of thousands. The conflict grew out of a power struggle between the federal government and the TPLF, whose decades of dominance in national politics ended when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office in 2018. Disputes over disarmament, territory, and the return of displaced people remain unresolved.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: War and diplomatic crisis in the Horn of Africa: Why Ethiopia is at odds with its neighbors<\/p>\n
The latest escalation followed the formation of an opposition alliance between the TPLF and six other armed groups, including former battlefield enemies, seeking to oust Abiy. On September 24, the Ethiopian National Defense Force said it had killed 272 TPLF fighters and wounded another 260 in a counteroffensive. Tigray\u2019s regional authorities said their troops entered a \u201cdefensive battle\u201d after federal forces attacked them with aircraft, drones, and artillery.<\/p>\n
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The fighting has also deepened a regional diplomatic crisis, with Ethiopia accusing Egypt, Eritrea, and Sudan of supporting the rebels. All three deny the allegations. Ethiopia announced the closure of its embassy in Eritrea and expelled ten Eritrean diplomats on Thursday, citing Asmara\u2019s \u201cdirect and indirect acts of hostility.\u201d Eritrea responded by severing ties, claiming Addis Ababa was plotting to take its ports and backing Eritrean opposition groups to pursue regime change. Addis Ababa also ordered an Egyptian diplomat to leave within 48 hours. Cairo retaliated by giving an Ethiopian Embassy counselor the same deadline.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The advance comes amid fighting against an alliance seeking to overthrow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed\u2019s government Ethiopian government forces and allied fighters have retaken the capital of the northern Tigray…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39350,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t