Ethiopia's Tigray: Rebels Quit Mekelle as Government Forces Advance, and Eritrean Troops Are Reported Inside the Region
Fighting that resumed on September 23 has raised fears of a return to the 2020-2022 civil war. Accounts of Eritrean movements could not be independently verified.
Ethiopia's northern Tigray region is again at the centre of a dangerous conflict. Government-allied forces entered Mekelle, Tigray's regional capital, at the weekend of October 3–4, 2026, after the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) announced that its forces had withdrawn. Days later, a commander allied with the government said Eritrean troops had crossed into Tigray, a claim that could not be independently verified.
What happened in Mekelle
According to the Associated Press:
- The TPLF, which had seized Mekelle and its airport the previous month, said in a statement on Saturday that its forces had pulled out, and that the regional government would temporarily operate from somewhere else.
- Ethiopian federal forces took control of the airport. Fighters from the pro-government Tigray Peace Forces entered the city centre, followed by the Ethiopian military.
- Residents reported looting of government offices and police equipment as the TPLF's fighters left.
Reports of Eritrean troops
On October 8, a commander of the Tigray Peace Forces, Ermiyas Ababu, told the AP that Eritrean personnel had entered the town of Adigrat and, a day later, Idaga Hamus. The conflict monitor ACLED gave a separate account, saying Eritrean troops crossed the border and were targeted by Ethiopian military drones. The AP said it could not verify either account. Eritrea has denied Ethiopian accusations that it supports the TPLF.
How the fighting began
Fighting erupted on September 23 when the TPLF launched attacks into neighbouring regions, raising fears of a return to the 2020–2022 civil war, one of the deadliest conflicts of recent years, which ended with a peace agreement signed in Pretoria in 2022. The African Union has urged restraint, warning that the renewed fighting threatens that agreement.
Why it matters
Ethiopia is Africa's second most populous country and a key partner for India in East Africa, through trade, development projects and a long-standing Indian community. Renewed war in the north risks a new humanitarian crisis, and the involvement of Eritrea would widen it into a regional conflict in the Horn of Africa, near the Red Sea shipping routes that carry a large share of India's trade with Europe.
We will update this story as more verified information becomes available.
Sources
This article draws on the following reporting. Dates are when each source was originally published.
- Associated Press (via News4Jax): Opposition fighters in northern Ethiopia's Tigray withdraw from regional capital ·
- Associated Press (via ABC News): Eritrean soldiers entered northern Ethiopian towns, government-allied commander says
- Oman Observer: Ethiopia's Tigray rebels abandon regional capital ·
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