Ethiopia’s Tigray regional government said on Wednesday that its fighters had entered what it called a defensive war against federal troops, marking a major escalation only hours after Tigrayan forces seized the main airport in Mekelle. Reuters reported that there was no immediate detailed response from the federal government.
Earlier, three local sources, including a security source, told Reuters that Tigrayan forces had taken control of Mekelle airport from federal police overnight. Ethiopian Airlines then suspended flights to Mekelle, Axum and Shire, citing the current situation in the region.
The regional administration said its forces had been instructed to counter what it described as a federal attack. The announcement raises fresh concern over the future of the 2022 Pretoria peace agreement, which helped end the large-scale 2020-2022 war.
The situation on the ground remains fluid. The seizure of Mekelle airport and the regional government’s war announcement are separately significant developments, but claims about control elsewhere, casualties and the full scope of fighting have not all been independently verified.