UPDATE: Sources Say Ethiopian Forces Retake Mekelle Airport as Tigray Fighters Withdraw
Three sources told Reuters that Ethiopian federal forces regained the airport outside Mekelle on October 3. Separately, a journalist and residents told AFP that Tigray fighters and leaders were leaving the city. These reports mark a significant change from CurrentFront’s October 2 report on forces approaching Mekelle; control of the city itself remains unconfirmed.
Reuters reported that Ethiopia’s National Defence Forces had retaken Alula Aba Nega Airport, about 10 kilometers from central Mekelle. The agency cited a person with knowledge of events in the city, a humanitarian source and a resident. The resident reported hearing gunfire outside the city center and seeing some Tigrayan fighters leave their positions. The airport had been among three regional airfields seized by opposition forces when the new fighting began on September 23.
Airport takeover did not establish control of the city
A local journalist and residents told AFP that TPLF fighters and leaders were leaving Mekelle. The journalist said federal troops had not yet been seen inside the city and described government offices and police stations without security staff. Access and communications restrictions limited independent observation.
The extent of federal control within Mekelle, the precise front line and the scale of any looting or civilian displacement were not established. Reuters could not immediately verify all accounts from the city, and the TPLF had not provided a response. Reports of an airport takeover should not be read as confirmation that the entire city has fallen.
The airfield is a strategic approach to Tigray’s capital. A change in control there and the reported withdrawal of Tigray fighters could alter the immediate security situation for residents and humanitarian operations. The uncertainty over who provides security inside Mekelle raises concern about lawlessness; the outcome of the wider conflict is still unknown.
Forces aligned with Ethiopia’s government were approaching Mekelle on October 2 as the renewed conflict in Tigray disrupted banks, shops and other services. Read CurrentFront’s original report for the preceding advance and its effects on residents. The airport’s reported recapture is the subsequent military development.
The earlier CurrentFront article, first published October 2 at 6:35 p.m., covered a claimed advance to a town roughly 20 kilometers from Mekelle and disruptions to civilian life. The new development is the reported change of control at Mekelle’s airport, much closer to the city, and independent AFP interviews describing the withdrawal of Tigray fighters and leaders. This update is a separate post; the October 2 account has not been rewritten to include these events.
Sources
- Reuters, October 3, 2026, 07:08 UTC — three sources on the airport; resident account and limitations.
- AFP, October 3, 2026, 11:35 (time shown by AFP) — journalist and resident accounts of withdrawals; no federal troops seen inside the city.
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