MEKELLE, Ethiopia, September 23, 2026 — Tigrayan forces have taken control of the main airport serving Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, according to three local sources, as Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to the region amid growing fears that the latest confrontation could trigger a return to large scale conflict.
The reported takeover of Mekelle airport came after months of worsening relations between Ethiopia’s federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which controls the regional administration.
The TPLF and the federal government fought a devastating war between 2020 and 2022 that resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and created a major humanitarian crisis in northern Ethiopia.
Three local sources, including a security source, told Reuters on Wednesday that Tigrayan forces took control of Mekelle airport from federal police during the night.
Ethiopian Airlines, the state owned carrier, subsequently announced that it had suspended flights to Mekelle, the regional capital, as well as Shire and Axum.
The airline said the flights had been halted “due to the current situation in Tigray region,” but did not provide further details.
Reuters was unable to immediately independently verify the situation in Shire and Axum.
Spokespeople for Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the federal government and the TPLF did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.
Alliance raises fresh concerns
The latest developments follow an announcement on Sunday by the TPLF and six other armed groups from different parts of Ethiopia that they had formed an alliance seeking to overthrow Abiy’s government.
The development has added to concerns over Ethiopia’s political and security situation, particularly as relations between Addis Ababa and the TPLF have deteriorated despite a peace agreement that ended the previous war.
The conflict between the TPLF and the federal government grew out of a political breakdown between the two sides.
The TPLF had dominated Ethiopian politics for almost three decades before Abiy became prime minister in 2018, bringing an end to the party’s political dominance at the federal level.
The two sides signed the Pretoria Agreement in November 2022, bringing the war to an end. However, both parties have since accused the other of breaching provisions of the peace deal.
The political situation in Tigray took another turn in May when the TPLF seized control of the regional government from the interim administration established under the terms of the peace agreement.
Abiy’s spokesperson, Billene Seyoum, told Reuters on Monday that members of the newly announced alliance had been working together for some time and had received financial backing from Eritrea, Ethiopia’s neighbour and longstanding regional rival.
Eritrea has repeatedly denied allegations that it supports armed groups operating against the Ethiopian government.
Concerns over renewed fighting
Jawar Mohammed, an Ethiopian political analyst and former close ally of Abiy, said he did not believe the TPLF was prepared to begin a full scale war.
“It could be flexing muscles to appeal to the international community to step in and activate Pretoria (Agreement) more strongly,” he said.
The latest confrontation comes against a backdrop of reported military activity in Tigray.
Data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project indicates that the Ethiopian military has conducted several drone strikes against Tigrayan forces in recent months.
The United States government on Tuesday condemned a recent drone strike on a Catholic Relief Services humanitarian assistance convoy in Tigray and called for a full investigation.
Washington did not identify who was responsible for the attack.
The Catholic Eparchy of Adigrat in northern Tigray said the drone strike on Sunday destroyed a truck carrying more than 41,000 tons of food aid intended for internally displaced people.
The Ethiopian federal government has not commented on the reported drone strikes in Tigray.
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