Developing story · The live desk
Mekelle airport takeover reported as Ethiopian Airlines suspends Tigray flights
Updates appear here as they are verified. Last update
Fighting reported beyond Tigray
Fighting was reported in Tigray and the neighboring Afar and Amhara regions, Reuters said, citing four sources with knowledge of developments across all three. That extends the earlier reports of a Mekelle airport takeover and suspended flights. Tigray’s regional administration describes its actions as defensive, while an adviser to Ethiopia’s prime minister alleges Tigrayan forces launched offensives. The available reporting does not establish who initiated the clashes.
Reuters: Tigrayan leaders say new war with Ethiopian government has begun as fighting erupts
Regional government declares fighting after airport takeover
Tigray’s regional government said its fighters had entered what it called a defensive war against Ethiopian federal troops, Reuters reported. The statement follows reports that Tigrayan forces took control of Mekelle airport and Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to three regional cities. The declaration adds the regional government’s account of the fighting; its full scope remains unclear. Ethiopia’s federal government had not commented when Reuters published.
Reuters: Tigray regional government says it has entered a defensive war · Ethiopian Airlines cancels flights to Tigray capital as soldiers take over airport
Airport takeover reported; three flight routes suspended
Tigrayan forces took control of Mekelle airport overnight into September 23, three local sources told Reuters. AFP also reported the takeover, citing security and local sources. Ethiopian Airlines confirmed it suspended flights to Mekelle, Axum and Shire that day. The flight suspensions affect travel across the region, but the airline gave no further details and the reports do not establish that forces took the airports at Axum or Shire. The airport’s reported takeover marks a significant escalation in tensions between Tigray’s leaders and Ethiopia’s federal government after their 2022 peace agreement.
AFP: Local sources report takeover of Mekelle airport · Reuters: Tigrayan forces seize airport; flights suspended · The Reporter Ethiopia: Ethiopian Airlines suspends three Tigray routes