Ethiopia's government retakes Mekelle after opposition fighters withdraw from Tigray capital
Description: (4 Oct 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Mekelle, Ethiopia - 4 October 2026
1. Residents greeting government-allied fighters
2. Trucks carrying government-allied fighters driving on the streets
3. Wide of men on motorbikes in the streets waving Ethiopian flag
4. Residents greeting government-allied fighters
5. Various of government-allied fighters on trucks
6. Various of government-allied fighters at a cafe
7. Mid of government-allied fighters on street
STORYLINE:
A convoy carrying government-allied fighters rolled through downtown Mekelle in northern Ethiopia on Sunday after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) announced its withdrawal from the city.
The TPLF last month seized Mekelle and its airport, one of Ethiopia’s largest cities.
In a statement on Saturday, it said its forces had pulled out.
They had done so in the previous two-year war, which ended with a peace agreement in 2022, apparently to spare the city from destruction.
Ethiopian Airlines had suspended flights to Mekelle and the Tigrayan cities of Axum and Shire after the rebels seized the airport.
The African Union urged restraint, warning that renewed tensions threatened the 2022 agreement.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has tried and failed to subdue Tigray’s rebellious leaders in recent months, with TPLF Chairman Debretsion Gebremichael openly challenging him.
Debretsion said last Thursday that the fighting was a “continuation of the previous war” and that his fighters would keep attacking and defending Tigray from its enemies.
After federal troops take control of Mekelle, Abiy is very likely to leave regional security in the hands of the Tigray Peace Force, according to Jalale Getachew Birru, an analyst of Ethiopia for ACLED, an independent global monitor that collects, analyses and maps data on conflict.
The Tigray Peace Force is fighting alongside federal troops against the TPLF.
Severe disruptions to internet and cellphone networks have made gathering and verifying information from Tigray difficult, although some connectivity was reported Sunday.
Residents of Mekelle told The Associated Press on Saturday that federal forces had retaken the airport, although details were scarce.
Civilians looted government offices and hauled away equipment from police headquarters in Mekelle as TPLF-allied fighters withdrew, a local business owner, who witnessed the departures and looting, said Sunday.
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RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Mekelle, Ethiopia - 4 October 2026
1. Residents greeting government-allied fighters
2. Trucks carrying government-allied fighters driving on the streets
3. Wide of men on motorbikes in the streets waving Ethiopian flag
4. Residents greeting government-allied fighters
5. Various of government-allied fighters on trucks
6. Various of government-allied fighters at a cafe
7. Mid of government-allied fighters on street
STORYLINE:
A convoy carrying government-allied fighters rolled through downtown Mekelle in northern Ethiopia on Sunday after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) announced its withdrawal from the city.
The TPLF last month seized Mekelle and its airport, one of Ethiopia’s largest cities.
In a statement on Saturday, it said its forces had pulled out.
They had done so in the previous two-year war, which ended with a peace agreement in 2022, apparently to spare the city from destruction.
Ethiopian Airlines had suspended flights to Mekelle and the Tigrayan cities of Axum and Shire after the rebels seized the airport.
The African Union urged restraint, warning that renewed tensions threatened the 2022 agreement.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has tried and failed to subdue Tigray’s rebellious leaders in recent months, with TPLF Chairman Debretsion Gebremichael openly challenging him.
Debretsion said last Thursday that the fighting was a “continuation of the previous war” and that his fighters would keep attacking and defending Tigray from its enemies.
After federal troops take control of Mekelle, Abiy is very likely to leave regional security in the hands of the Tigray Peace Force, according to Jalale Getachew Birru, an analyst of Ethiopia for ACLED, an independent global monitor that collects, analyses and maps data on conflict.
The Tigray Peace Force is fighting alongside federal troops against the TPLF.
Severe disruptions to internet and cellphone networks have made gathering and verifying information from Tigray difficult, although some connectivity was reported Sunday.
Residents of Mekelle told The Associated Press on Saturday that federal forces had retaken the airport, although details were scarce.
Civilians looted government offices and hauled away equipment from police headquarters in Mekelle as TPLF-allied fighters withdrew, a local business owner, who witnessed the departures and looting, said Sunday.
===========================================================
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You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/2f2ddca12a304a05b2dcd378c4846ace Close description