A motorist drives through Mekelle, the capital of Ethiopia’s Tigray Regional Government, on September 26, 2026. Obtained by REUTERS/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Pro-government forces have seized back control of Mekelle, the capital of Ethiopia’s Tigray region, according to officials and residents on Sunday, delivering a significant blow to the opposition alliance governing the northern territory.
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The Tigray Peace Forces, a militia aligned with the government, said on Facebook that its fighters were in control of Mekelle. A source close to the group told Reuters earlier that its forces entered the city centre on Saturday afternoon, with the Ethiopian military arriving afterward.
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which heads the opposition alliance, said in a statement that it had withdrawn from Mekelle. It added that the regional government would be “temporarily moved out of Mekelle and operate from somewhere else”.
A humanitarian source and a resident of Mekelle, both speaking on condition of anonymity, also said government forces and their allies controlled the city.
LOSS OF MEKELLE A MAJOR BLOW FOR TPLF
The fall of Mekelle marks a major setback for the TPLF-led opposition alliance, which launched a broad offensive against Ethiopia’s federal military on September 23.
Federal troops have moved rapidly into Tigray in response. Analysts warn that the fighting — the most serious escalation since the 2020-2022 civil war — could spread beyond Ethiopia’s borders and develop into a wider regional conflict.
Addis Ababa severed diplomatic relations with Eritrea last week, accusing it of assisting the rebel alliance along with Sudan and Egypt.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty rejected the claim that Cairo was supporting the TPLF and its partners. “I have to be very clear, we are not party to the domestic crisis facing Ethiopia now. It has nothing to do with us,” he told Reuters on Sunday. Eritrea and Sudan have likewise denied backing the rebels.
Abdelatty spoke before a Sunday meeting in Egypt involving President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the presidents of Eritrea and Somalia. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of Sudan’s army, was also scheduled to participate.
Egypt and Ethiopia, among Africa’s most populous nations, have been locked in a prolonged dispute over Ethiopia’s construction of a large dam on the Nile River. Egypt considers the project a threat to its vital water supplies.
“It is an existential issue. It’s life or death for 110 million people,” Abdelatty said.
Reporting by Ammu Kannampillay; Additional reporting by Alexander Dziadosz, Dina Sakr and Sayed Sheasha in El Alamein; Editing by Silvia Aloisi, Helen Popper and Alison Williams
