Tigrayan Forces Seize Three Northern Ethiopian Airports
An analysis published October 2 said the TPLF captured Mekelle, Aksum and Shire, suspending flights and increasing the risk of broader conflict across the…
Mateo Fernandez ·
Tigrayan forces seized the airports at Mekelle, Aksum and Shire on October 2, 2026, halting flights and raising the risk of a wider regional conflict.
Flights were suspended, telecommunications were disrupted and civilians in Tigray began stocking food and cash, an analysis published October 2 said.
The analysis said federal forces responded with drone strikes and artillery and claimed to have killed or captured hundreds of attackers.
Pretoria agreement left unresolved issues
The piece recalled the 2020–22 conflict and said it "left somewhere in the area of 600,000 dead, millions displaced," while implementation of the Pretoria agreement remained partial, with disarmament incomplete and territorial disputes unresolved.
It said a hardline faction within the TPLF has reasserted control and mobilized fighters, and that lower-level clashes resumed near the Sudanese border earlier this year before escalating.
New battlefield alignments and Eritrea's role
The analysis described an emergent anti-government alliance that includes elements of the Amhara Fano and other armed groups and reports cooperation on the battlefield against Addis Ababa.
Ethiopian officials have accused Eritrea of providing material support to the alliance; Eritrea denies the charge, and the analysis noted independent verification of direct Eritrean combat involvement is limited.
Monitor whether federal forces retake Mekelle, Aksum or Shire by October 9, 2026, the analysis said; the outcome in the coming week will be a key indicator of whether the fighting spreads and threatens regional ports and cross-border displacement.