Fears of another major conflict in Ethiopia are intensifying after forces in the northern Tigray region reportedly seized Mekelle airport and the regional government declared it had entered a defensive war against federal troops.
State-owned Ethiopian Airlines announced on Wednesday that flights to Mekelle, Shire and Axum had been suspended “due to the current situation in Tigray region.” The airline apologised to passengers and said further information would be provided when services could safely resume.
Two local sources cited in the original report said Tigrayan forces took control of Mekelle airport from federal police during an overnight operation.
Tigray’s regional authorities said their forces were now engaged in a defensive conflict with the federal military, accusing Addis Ababa of beginning a ground offensive following air and artillery attacks across parts of the region on Tuesday. Ethiopia’s federal government had not publicly responded to the reported airport seizure or allegations of airstrikes at the time of the report.
The escalation follows the formation of a new coalition of seven armed groups, including the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which governs Tigray. The Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival announced that it aims to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and replace it with a transitional administration.
The coalition has accused Abiy’s ruling Prosperity Party of imposing “dictatorial” government and driving Ethiopia towards fragmentation. Abiy’s spokesperson, Billene Seyoum, in turn accused the alliance of receiving financial support from neighbouring Eritrea, an allegation Eritrean authorities have repeatedly denied.
The latest confrontation threatens to unravel the 2022 peace agreement that brought an end to two years of devastating warfare between federal forces and the TPLF. That conflict caused hundreds of thousands of deaths and left Tigray struggling with profound humanitarian and security consequences.
Tensions have again been mounting amid clashes and reports of drone attacks. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned last month that Ethiopia was approaching the brink of another war.
The latest flight shutdown is not the first this year. Ethiopian Airlines also suspended services to Tigray in January amid renewed military activity, underscoring the increasingly fragile security situation in the region.
Ethiopia:
Tigrayan forces have taken control of Mekelle’s Alula Aba Nega Airport from the federal forces of the Abiy.
There is fighting across Tigray, Afar and Amhara, and the Tigray regional authorities have announced that their forces have entered what they call a… pic.twitter.com/m0oNBSj1VK
— Abu Kittens ⵣ ✪ ▄︻╦芫≡══– 🌺 ☠︎︎ ﹏𓊝﹏ (@mabukittens) September 23, 2026
