Ethiopian Forces Reportedly Retake Mekelle Airport

Ethiopian federal forces and allied militias said they had captured Alamata, a strategic town in southern Tigray, amid renewed fighting with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, though reports of control were uncertain. Separately, federal forces reportedly retook Alula Aba Nega Airport in Mekelle after Tigrayan fighters seized it on September 23, but control of the city remains unverified amid communications blackouts and restricted reporting. Clashes have spread across northern Ethiopia, with reported advances and setbacks in several towns raising fears of a wider conflict. Commercial flights to Mekelle, Axum and Shire were suspended, and UK guidance says civilian flights to Tigray remain suspended and foreign nationals cannot access airports in Afar. The African Union has urged restraint as worsening Ethiopia-Eritrea relations add to concerns about escalation.