Three sources told Reuters, today (Sunday), that Ethiopian government forces and allied militias regained control of the capital of the Tigray region, in a major setback for the opposition coalition that governs the northern region.
The Tigray People's Liberation Front, which leads the opposition coalition, said in a statement posted on Facebook that it had withdrawn from the capital, and that the regional government would be transferred "temporarily from Mekele, and will work from elsewhere."
A source close to the pro-government "Tigray Peace Forces" militia said that its fighters entered the center of the city of Mekele yesterday afternoon (Saturday), followed by the Ethiopian army.
A source in the relief sector and a resident of Mekele, who requested to remain anonymous, confirmed that the city had come under the control of government forces. The Ethiopian Prime Minister's office did not respond to a request from Reuters for comment.
Washington calls for restraint
In this context, the United States called for restraint and dialogue in the Horn of Africa, as Ethiopia accuses neighboring countries of supporting the rebellion in the Tigray region (north), at a time when the leaders of Eritrea, Egypt, Somalia, and the Sudanese army commander are meeting in Egypt on Sunday, in the wake of these developments.
The US State Department said in a statement: “The growing border tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea may affect the entire region. “The Horn of Africa cannot afford another military conflict and humanitarian crisis.”
She added: “We strongly urge Ethiopia and Eritrea to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of their neighbors, exercise maximum restraint, and return to dialogue.”
For his part, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi today affirmed his country’s firm position rejecting any external interference in the internal affairs of African countries, and calling for respecting the sovereignty of countries and the unity and integrity of their territories, as basic principles. It is indispensable for the stability of the continent.
Al-Sisi said, in a speech today during the opening session of the eighth mid-year coordination meeting of the African Union and the regional economic blocs, which Egypt is hosting in the city of New Alamein, “Egypt affirms that the relations of our countries must be based on mutual respect, good neighbourliness, dialogue and consultation, far from unilateral policies or narrow interests.”
Ethiopia accuses Eritrea, Egypt and the Sudanese army of supporting the Tigray People's Liberation Front.
On the other hand, Ethiopia is accused of supporting the Rapid Support Forces, which has been waging a war with the Sudanese army since 2023.
Relations between Ethiopia and Egypt are already witnessing tension against the backdrop of Addis Ababa's construction of the Renaissance Dam on the Nile River, while Cairo has strengthened its relations with Eritrea in recent months.
As for Somalia, it views with concern the rapprochement between Addis Ababa and Somaliland, which declared its independence in 1991.
Acts of “hostility and violence”
On Friday, Ethiopia accused Eritrea of committing “hostile and violent” acts, after it expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats and closed its embassy in Asmara on Thursday, while Eritrea responded that it would sever “all diplomatic relations.”
Likewise, Ethiopia declared the Egyptian diplomat Ahmed Muharram Ahmed persona non grata, and informed his country's embassy in Addis Ababa of the need to leave Ethiopian territory within 48 hours, without explaining the reasons for this step. In accordance with the principle of reciprocity, Egypt declared an Ethiopian diplomat in Cairo persona non grata and gave him 48 hours to leave the country.
Hours ago, according to observers, explosions caused by drones hit two military buildings in Addis Ababa, in the first targeting of its kind in a long time. Since September 23, violent clashes have been taking place in northern Ethiopia following attacks launched by the Tigray People's Liberation Front on the Afar and Amhara regions, raising fears of a renewal of the devastating civil war that the north of the country witnessed between 2020 and 2022, which claimed the lives of about 600,000 people.
