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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →As of October 3, 2026, Ethiopian federal and pro-government forces were reported to have retaken Alula Aba Nega Airport in Mekelle and to be advancing after more than a week of fighting. Accounts also described TPLF fighters or leaders leaving some positions or the city. Those reports do not establish that federal forces controlled all of Mekelle or that any withdrawal was complete.
What is happening in Tigray?
Fighting between Ethiopian federal forces and Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF)-aligned fighters erupted in late September 2026, after months of worsening tensions. By October 3, reports described clashes across Tigray, Afar and Amhara.
Al Jazeera, citing a source familiar with events and a humanitarian source who spoke to Reuters, reported that federal-aligned forces had retaken Alula Aba Nega Airport in Mekelle. A Mekelle resident also confirmed the airport’s recapture to the outlet. A resident and a local journalist separately described TPLF fighters or leaders leaving positions or the city. These are accounts of specific developments, not confirmation of a complete line of control.
Battlefield claims remain difficult to verify independently. The Critical Threats Project’s October 2 security review described reported advances and withdrawals while noting that some claims could not be confirmed. Its account combines reported events and open-source claims, so it should not be read as a definitive map of who controls each location.
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Are Ethiopian forces advancing on Mekelle, and what is the airport’s status?
Reports available by October 3 indicated that federal-aligned forces had retaken Mekelle’s airport and were advancing north from Alamata toward Mekelle. The Critical Threats Project described reported federal advances along the A2 road. The airport report was supported by sources cited by Reuters and a local resident, but it does not prove that the wider city had been secured.
Accounts of TPLF personnel leaving positions support describing a reported retreat in some places. They do not establish that all TPLF forces had withdrawn from Mekelle or Tigray. Control of an airport, a town, a road and a wider region are distinct questions; the available reporting did not establish a comprehensive answer for all of them.
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Where else is fighting reported, and why do routes matter?
Reports described fighting in Tigray, Afar and Amhara. The accounts below differ in date, source and degree of confirmation:
| Location or development | What was reported | Attribution and qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Alula Aba Nega Airport, Mekelle | Retaken by federal-aligned forces | Al Jazeera reported that a source familiar with events and a humanitarian source told Reuters the airport had been retaken; a Mekelle resident also confirmed it. This does not establish control of the whole city. |
| Erebti, Afar | TPLF fighters took the town over the preceding weekend; later counterattacks reportedly retook it | The Associated Press cited a commander on the initial takeover; a Tigray Peace Force official confirmed it but disputed that heavy fighting occurred. The Critical Threats Project said Ethiopian National Defense Forces and Tigray Peace Force counterattacks reportedly retook Erebti on October 1. |
| Abala, Afar | Reportedly retaken on October 1 | The Critical Threats Project attributed the reported recapture to Ethiopian National Defense Forces and Tigray Peace Force counterattacks. |
| Mizilat | A Tigray Peace Force claim of capture was not verified | The Critical Threats Project explicitly said it could not verify the claim. |
| Alamata and the A2 route | Reported federal advances north toward Mekelle | The Critical Threats Project described advances along the A2; Al Jazeera characterized Alamata as a supply hub for troops, fuel and food. |
Al Jazeera’s reporting said that control of Alamata could help federal forces move north toward Mekelle. It also said fighting in Afar could threaten supply routes from Djibouti, through which most Ethiopian imports, including fuel, pass. These are strategic assessments in the reporting, not proof that a route has been cut or that an advance will succeed.
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Who are the main parties?
- Ethiopian federal forces: The national government’s military, the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF), is fighting TPLF-aligned forces.
- TPLF and Tigray Defense Forces: The TPLF is an armed political organization. The Critical Threats Project identifies the Tigray Defense Forces (TDF) as its military wing.
- Tigray Peace Force: A Tigrayan armed group aligned with federal forces, according to the reporting.
The conflict follows the 2020–22 war between TPLF forces and Ethiopia’s federal government. The sides signed a peace deal in Pretoria, South Africa, in November 2022. The Associated Press reported that political tensions continued afterward and that Mekelle’s postwar caretaker administration was seen as loyal to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Both sides denied responsibility for starting the renewed hostilities.
The Associated Press also reported that the TPLF and six other opposition groups announced an alliance aiming to remove Abiy’s government. The announced members were the Amhara Fano National Movement, Oromo Liberation Army, Ogaden National Liberation Front, Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front, Benishangul Peoples’ Liberation Movement and Gumuz Peoples’ Democratic Movement, alongside the TPLF. Announcing an alliance does not establish that every member is fighting alongside the others on each front.
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What happened to the Pretoria peace deal?
The November 2022 agreement ended the 2020–22 war, but the renewed clashes have effectively shattered the period of peace it ushered in, the Associated Press reported on September 24, 2026. That description concerns the renewed hostilities; it does not by itself explain every political dispute or establish which side caused the latest outbreak. Both sides denied responsibility for launching it.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is known about civilian casualties, hospital cases and displacement?
Published figures describe different measures and places; they are not a single, independently verified total. Al Jazeera reported at least 52 civilians killed in northern Ethiopia, but the cited passage did not name the organization that compiled that tally. The Associated Press relayed figures from Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and an estimate from an aid organization’s co-founder:
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| Measure | Reported figure | Source and scope |
|---|---|---|
| Civilians killed | At least 52 | Reported by Al Jazeera in October 2026 for northern Ethiopia; the cited passage did not identify the original tallying organization. |
| Patients at Korem and Alamata hospitals | From around 180 to more than 420 in 48 hours | MSF figures as reported by the Associated Press in September 2026. |
| Wounded arrivals at Suhul Hospital | 300 in the prior week | MSF figures as reported by the Associated Press in September 2026. |
| People displaced | About 150,000 | An estimate by Valerie Browning, co-founder of the Afar Pastoralist Development Association, quoted by the Associated Press in September 2026. |
The different periods, locations and measures mean the hospital figures should not be added together or treated as a casualty count. The reported displacement figure is an attributed estimate, not a comprehensive independent assessment.
Could the fighting spread to Eritrea or involve other neighbors?
Ethiopian army chief Field Marshal Birhanu Jula accused Eritrea of “mobilizing financial support” for the TPLF and suggested Sudan and Egypt were also involved, without explaining those latter allegations, the Associated Press reported on September 28. Eritrea and Sudan issued denials and counter-accusations, according to the report. Al Jazeera reported that Eritrea announced it would sever diplomatic ties with Ethiopia after Ethiopia’s actions.
These accusations and diplomatic responses do not independently establish foreign participation in the fighting. The reporting available by October 3 did not establish that the conflict had spread into Eritrea.
Why are observers warning about the renewed conflict?
The renewed fighting threatens civilians and risks undoing the fragile calm established after the Pretoria agreement. Amnesty International regional director for East and Southern Africa Tigere Chagutah said, “The AU, which was one of the guarantors of the ceasefire agreement that has now effectively collapsed, must learn from past mistakes and urgently activate its response mechanisms and mobilize its member states before it is too late.” Al Jazeera reported the statement on October 3, 2026.
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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteThe reporting available by that date established neither a complete account of territorial control nor a reliable forecast of the conflict’s outcome. Airport recapture and reported movement from particular positions should therefore be distinguished from control of Mekelle or the wider region.
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