A militia group allied to Ethiopia's federal government said it had recaptured the main airport in Mekelle, the capital of the northern Tigray region, as pro-government forces press their counterattack into the opposition stronghold. "We have taken full control of Mekelle Alula Aba Nega Airport. We are currently clearing the city of Mekelle," the Tigray Peace Forces militia posted on X late on Friday, according to Reuters. The claim could not be independently verified.
What is the status of the airport claim?
The Tigray Peace Forces — a pro-government militia — announced the alleged recapture on X late Friday. Reuters said it could not immediately verify the assertion, and that Ethiopia's Prime Minister's Office did not respond immediately to a request for comment. The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which leads the opposition alliance, could not immediately be reached for comment.
The seizure of the airport was first reported last week, when Tigrayan forces took control of the facility — a move that prompted Ethiopian Airlines to suspend flights to Mekelle, Shire and Axum. If the militia's new claim holds, it would reverse that seizure and mark a significant symbolic and logistical gain for the government side.
Why does the airport matter?
Airports are strategic infrastructure in any conflict: they connect a region to the national capital, move officials and aid, and signal who exercises effective authority on the ground. Alula Aba Nega Airport, roughly 10 kilometers outside Mekelle, has changed hands as the fighting has swung — and its status is now a bellwether for the battle over the regional capital itself.
Reuters reported that Ethiopian federal forces and allied fighters have made a quick counterattack into Tigray since combat erupted last week with a rebel alliance led by the TPLF — the worst escalation since the 2020–2022 civil war. Residents told Reuters on Friday that government forces were closing in on Mekelle, with banks and shops in the city closed.
Could this become a wider regional war?
Analysts fear the fighting could spread beyond Ethiopia's borders, Reuters reported. Tigray has Ethiopia's longtime foe Eritrea to its north and Sudan — itself in a more than three-year-old civil war — to its west. On Thursday, Ethiopia said it was closing its embassy in Eritrea "in response to Eritrea's direct and indirect acts of hostility and belligerence" and ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats to leave within 48 hours; Eritrea responded by severing all diplomatic ties.
Ethiopia's government has accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of supporting the opposition alliance — an allegation all three have denied. Suspected drone attacks on the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, earlier this week suggested the TPLF and its allies may have better striking capability than previously thought, Reuters reported. Earlier this week, suspected blasts in Addis Ababa raised further questions about the conflict's reach.
The taking of Mekelle by pro-government forces would be a major setback for the TPLF-led alliance, which launched its offensive last week against the Ethiopian military. For now, the airport claim remains exactly that — a claim, reported by Reuters with an explicit caveat that it could not be verified.
Related: our [October 2 report on Ethiopian forces closing in on Mekelle](/articles/2026-10-02-1016-ethiopian-forces-close-on-tigray-capital-mekelle) and on [Ethiopia and Eritrea severing diplomatic ties](/articles/2026-10-02-0537-ethiopia-eritrea-diplomatic-ties-severed-addis-blasts).
