Ethiopia’s forces retake Mekelle amid renewed Tigray fighting

The capture of Tigray’s regional capital revives fears of another prolonged conflict, displacement and crisis.

Mekelle, Tigray’s regional capital, has been retaken by Ethiopian federal forces and allied fighters amid renewed fighting in the region [File: AFP]

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – The capture of Tigray’s regional capital Mekelle by Ethiopian federal forces and allied Tigray Peace Force fighters has revived painful memories of the 2020–22 Tigray war, with residents fearing a return to prolonged violence, displacement and economic hardship.

The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) confirmed on Saturday that it had withdrawn from Mekelle, saying its regional administration would temporarily operate from another location. Government forces and allied fighters entered the city on Saturday, with a pro-government militia source, a humanitarian worker and a Mekelle resident confirming to the Reuters news agency on Sunday that they were in control of the city.

The development comes less than four years after the Ethiopian government and the TPLF signed the Pretoria agreement that ended two years of devastating fighting.

Berihu, a 32-year-old bajaj driver in Shire, northwestern Tigray, said the latest fighting had been particularly difficult to watch.

“I feel very heartbroken knowing that Tigray has gone back to full-scale war,” he said in a phone interview with Al Jazeera. “We have already seen what the last war did to our people, and now it feels like we are going through it all over again.”

The 2020–22 war killed hundreds of thousands of people, according to estimates, displaced millions and caused extensive damage to infrastructure and livelihoods.

The African Union-facilitated agreement, signed in Pretoria in November 2022, ended the large-scale fighting, but key issues, including the status of disputed territories, the return of displaced people and the disarmament of Tigrayan forces, remained unresolved.

In July, the TPLF said the Pretoria agreement had effectively collapsed, accusing the federal government of failing to implement key provisions. The federal government rejected that characterisation, saying it remained committed to the peace process while accusing the TPLF of undermining the agreement.

The political dispute was accompanied by growing military tensions, including reports of sporadic clashes and drone strikes in parts of Tigray. The two sides also traded accusations over troop movements and preparations for renewed fighting.

The capture of Mekelle marks a major development in the renewed conflict, putting the city once again at the centre of the fighting.

Fear spreads beyond Tigray

In Addis Ababa, the developments have also alarmed residents who remember the consequences of the previous war.

Abel, a 30-year-old shopkeeper, said the fighting had felt distant until explosions were heard in the capital .

“I woke up and heard that my city had been hit,” he said. “You hear about fighting in Tigray, and it feels far away. But when you hear about explosions in Addis Ababa, you start asking yourself what will happen next.”

Diplomatic sources said explosions were heard in several parts of the capital, including near the headquarters of Ethiopia’s military. Reuters separately reported that a source linked to an opposition alliance claimed the group had carried out drone strikes in Addis Ababa, including against military facilities. The claim could not be independently verified.

For Abel, the economic consequences are as concerning as the fighting itself.

“If the war becomes bigger, ordinary people will suffer,” he said.

Bisrat, a college student in Addis Ababa, said the overnight explosions had reinforced his fear that Ethiopia could be entering a much wider conflict.

“If Ethiopia goes into a full-scale war, ordinary people will suffer,” he said. “I fear seeing another Sudan.”

Sudan has been engulfed in war since April 2023, when fighting broke out between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, displacing millions and creating a major humanitarian crisis.

The current fighting also involves a wider set of actors than the Tigray war that ended in 2022. The TPLF is part of a broader opposition alliance that includes armed groups from several parts of the country.

Fighting has also spread into Afar, while relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea have sharply deteriorated.

Ethiopian officials have accused Eritrea of interfering in Ethiopia’s internal affairs and supporting forces opposed to the federal government. Eritrea has rejected the accusations.

On Thursday, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the closure of its embassy in Asmara and declared 10 Eritrean diplomats persona non grata, saying they had been involved in activities that posed a threat to Ethiopia’s national security.

Eritrea subsequently announced that it was severing diplomatic relations with Ethiopia.

The diplomatic rupture has added to concerns that the renewed fighting could acquire a wider regional dimension.

Mekelle changes hands again

In Mekelle, residents were left trying to understand what comes next after the TPLF withdrawal.

Goitom, 37, said there was a period of uncertainty after TPLF forces left the city, with what he described as a security vacuum allowing theft in some areas, including government offices.

“On Friday night, we were hearing gunfire but did not know what was happening,” he said.

By Saturday, Ethiopian federal forces and allied fighters had taken control of key locations, including the airport, according to Goitom. Reuters and The Associated Press news agency also reported that government-aligned forces had entered Mekelle following the TPLF withdrawal.

“It feels like we are back to square one,” he said. “We have already seen what war can do to this city and to our families. People are worried about what will happen next.”

The TPLF, however, portrayed the withdrawal as a tactical decision rather than an end to the fighting.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the group said it had “temporarily moved out of Mekelle” and that the regional government would “operate from somewhere else”. It said the decision was intended to prevent further destruction in the city and indicated that its forces would continue the conflict from other positions.

For the federal government, the capture of Mekelle represents a significant step towards restoring federal control over the region.

Abraham Belay, former president of the Tigray Interim Administration, said on Sunday that preparations were under way to establish a new interim administration in Tigray, with the aim of holding regional elections within months.

“We are working to establish a new administrative structure that will enable the people of Tigray to govern themselves,” Abraham said in an interview with Fana Broadcasting Corporate.

He said new administrative structures would be organised from the kebele level upwards, with community participation, before regional elections were held.

The competing accounts leave the next phase of the conflict uncertain. The federal government says it is seeking to restore its authority and establish a new regional administration, while the TPLF says its forces will continue fighting from elsewhere.

Civilian fears return to the fore

For people who lived through the previous war, the return of fighting has brought back fears of displacement, destruction and another prolonged humanitarian crisis.

Berihu, the bajaj driver, said he had seen villages bombed and civilians caught up in the fighting during the previous conflict, experiences that have shaped his fears about what could follow.

“It is painful to even think that civilians could once again bear the cost,” he said.

After years of displacement, loss and disruption, he said, many people in Tigray simply want the fighting to stop.

“We have already suffered enough,” Berihu said. “We just want peace. We don’t want to go through the same thing again.”

提格雷州首府被攻占，再次引发了人们对另一场旷日持久的冲突、流离失所和危机的担忧。

在提格雷地区战事再度爆发之际，埃塞俄比亚联邦军队及其盟军已重新夺回提格雷州首府默克莱。[图片：法新社]

埃塞俄比亚首都亚的斯亚贝巴——埃塞俄比亚联邦军队及其盟友提格雷和平部队攻占提格雷州首府默克莱，唤起了人们对 2020-2022 年提格雷战争的痛苦回忆，当地居民担心长期暴力、流离失所和经济困难会再次出现。

提格雷人民解放阵线（提人阵）周六证实已撤出默克莱，并表示其地区行政机构将暂时迁至他处办公。政府军及其盟友于周六进入该市。周日，一名亲政府民兵消息人士、一名人道主义工作者和一名默克莱居民向路透社证实，政府军已控制该市。

这一事态发展距离埃塞俄比亚政府和提格雷人民解放阵线签署《比勒陀利亚协议》结束两年毁灭性冲突还不到四年。

来自提格雷州西北部希雷的32岁三轮车司机贝里胡表示，最近的战斗尤其令人难以忍受。

“得知提格雷再次陷入全面战乱，我感到非常痛心，”他在接受半岛电视台电话采访时说。“我们已经目睹了上次战争给我们的人民带来的伤害，现在感觉一切又要重演了。”

据估计，2020-2022 年的战争造成数十万人死亡，数百万人流离失所，并对基础设施和生计造成了广泛的破坏。

2022 年 11 月在比勒陀利亚签署的由非洲联盟促成的协议结束了大规模战斗，但包括争议领土地位、流离失所者返回家园和提格雷武装解除武装在内的关键问题仍未得到解决。

7月，提格雷人民解放阵线（TPLF）声称《比勒陀利亚协议》实际上已经破裂，并指责联邦政府未能执行关键条款。联邦政府驳斥了这一说法，表示仍致力于和平进程，同时指责提格雷人民解放阵线破坏协议。

政治争端伴随着日益紧张的军事局势，包括有报道称提格雷部分地区发生零星冲突和无人机袭击。双方还就部队调动和新一轮战斗的准备工作互相指责。

攻占默克莱标志着新一轮冲突取得了重大进展，使这座城市再次成为战斗的中心。

恐惧蔓延至提格雷以外地区

在亚的斯亚贝巴，事态发展也令居民感到担忧，他们还记得上次战争的后果。

30岁的店主阿贝尔说，直到首都传来爆炸声，他才意识到战斗离自己很远。

“我醒来后就听说我的城市遭到袭击了，”他说。“你听说提格雷发生战斗，感觉离得很远。但当你听到亚的斯亚贝巴发生爆炸时，你就会开始想接下来会发生什么。”

外交消息人士称，首都多个地区听到爆炸声，包括埃塞俄比亚军方总部附近。路透社另行报道称，一位与反对派联盟有关联的消息人士声称，该组织在亚的斯亚贝巴发动了无人机袭击，其中包括针对军事设施的袭击。该说法尚未得到独立证实。

对阿贝尔来说，经济后果与战争本身一样令人担忧。

“如果战争规模扩大，普通百姓将会受苦，”他说。

比斯拉特是亚的斯亚贝巴的一名大学生，他表示，夜间爆炸加剧了他对埃塞俄比亚可能陷入更广泛冲突的担忧。

“如果埃塞俄比亚陷入全面战争，普通民众将遭受苦难，”他说。“我担心会看到另一个苏丹。”

自 2023 年 4 月以来，苏丹一直深陷战争泥潭。当时，军队与准军事快速支援部队之间爆发冲突，导致数百万人流离失所，并造成了严重的人道主义危机。

目前的冲突涉及的参与者也比 2022 年结束的提格雷战争更多。提格雷人民解放阵线是更广泛的反对派联盟的一部分，该联盟包括来自该国多个地区的武装团体。

战火也蔓延到了阿法尔地区，埃塞俄比亚和厄立特里亚之间的关系急剧恶化。

埃塞俄比亚官员指责厄立特里亚干涉埃塞俄比亚内政，并支持反对联邦政府的势力。厄立特里亚否认了这些指控。

周四，埃塞俄比亚外交部宣布关闭其驻阿斯马拉大使馆，并宣布10名厄立特里亚外交官为不受欢迎的人，称他们参与了对埃塞俄比亚国家安全构成威胁的活动。

随后，厄立特里亚宣布与埃塞俄比亚断绝外交关系。

外交破裂加剧了人们对战火重燃可能演变为更广泛的区域冲突的担忧。

梅克莱再次易主

在梅克莱，居民们仍在努力理解提格雷人民解放阵线撤军后接下来会发生什么。

37 岁的戈伊托姆表示，提格雷人民解放阵线部队离开该市后，出现了一段不确定时期，他称之为安全真空，导致一些地区（包括政府办公室）发生盗窃事件。

“周五晚上，我们听到枪声，但不知道发生了什么事，”他说。

据戈伊托姆称，截至周六，埃塞俄比亚联邦军队及其盟军已控制了包括机场在内的关键地点。路透社和美联社也报道称，在提格雷人民解放阵线撤退后，政府军已进入默克莱。

“感觉一切又回到了原点，”他说。“我们已经目睹了战争给这座城市和我们的家庭带来的灾难。人们担心接下来会发生什么。”

然而，提格雷人民解放阵线将撤退描述为一项战术决定，而不是战斗的结束。

该组织周六发表声明称，已“暂时撤出默克莱”，地区政府将“在其他地方运作”。声明称，此举旨在防止该市遭受进一步破坏，并表示其部队将从其他阵地继续交战。

对于联邦政府而言，攻占默克莱是恢复联邦政府对该地区控制权的重要一步。

提格雷临时政府前主席亚伯拉罕·贝莱周日表示，正在筹备在提格雷建立新的临时政府，目标是在几个月内举行地区选举。

“我们正在努力建立一个新的行政结构，使提格雷人民能够自治，”亚伯拉罕在接受法纳广播公司采访时说。

他表示，新的行政机构将从基层（kebele）向上层组织起来，社区将参与其中，之后才会举行地区选举。

双方说法不一，使得冲突的下一阶段走向充满不确定性。联邦政府表示，它正寻求恢复其权威并建立新的地区行政机构，而提格雷人民解放阵线（TPLF）则表示，其部队将继续在其他地区作战。

民众的恐惧再次浮出水面

对于经历过上次战争的人们来说，战火重燃让他们再次担忧流离失所、财产损失以及另一场旷日持久的人道主义危机。

巴贾吉车司机贝里胡说，在之前的冲突中，他亲眼目睹了村庄被炸毁，平民被卷入战斗，这些经历让他对未来可能发生的事情感到恐惧。

他说：“一想到平民百姓可能再次承担后果，就令人痛心。”

他说，经过多年的流离失所、损失和动荡，提格雷的许多人只希望战斗停止。

“我们已经受够了苦难，”贝里胡说。“我们只想要和平。我们不想再经历同样的事情。”