Tigray rebels have begun withdrawing from Mekelle, the regional capital of northern Ethiopia, as federal forces and pro-government militias advance towards the city amid renewed fighting.
An AFP report, which quoted a local journalist and residents, said on Saturday that fighters and leaders of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front were leaving Mekelle, although federal troops had not yet entered the city.
The withdrawal has raised fears of a security vacuum, with government offices and police stations reportedly left without security personnel.
“TPLF militants and leaders are leaving Mekelle,” a local journalist said.
A resident expressed concern that public property could be looted in the absence of security forces.
“I am concerned that government and public property could be exposed to looting because there are no security forces in the city,” the resident said.
Another resident appealed for a quick restoration of security, saying, “Lawlessness could spread in the city, and I am also afraid for my life.”
The latest developments follow fighting that erupted on September 23, when TPLF forces launched attacks into neighbouring Afar and Amhara states, raising fears of a return to Ethiopia’s 2020–2022 civil war.
Government forces and allied militias have since pushed the rebels back and launched a counter-offensive towards Mekelle along three routes, according to the Critical Threats Project of the American Enterprise Institute.
There were also reports that Mekelle airport, located on the southern approach to the city, had been captured by a pro-government militia. However, the report could not be independently verified because of restricted media access and communications blackouts.
TPLF leader Debretsion Gebremichael has suggested that the rebels could resort to guerrilla warfare if forced out of Mekelle, recalling the group’s tactics during the previous conflict.
“We operate under a strategy to strike the enemy wherever we choose,” he said in a video message.
The renewed conflict has also intensified Ethiopia’s regional tensions with Eritrea and Egypt.
Ethiopia expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats and closed its embassy in Asmara on Thursday, while Eritrea responded by saying it would “sever all diplomatic ties”. Ethiopia also expelled an Egyptian diplomat, prompting a reciprocal action from Cairo.
The TPLF has accused the conflict of becoming a wider struggle over control of the Red Sea, while Ethiopia has accused Eritrea and Egypt of supporting the rebels.
The TPLF dominated Tigray for decades and ruled Ethiopia from 1991 until 2018. Its conflict with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government led to the 2020–2022 war, which the African Union estimates killed more than 600,000 people.
A 2022 peace agreement brought an uneasy calm to the region, but key provisions were never fully implemented.
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