Ethiopian Airlines suspends flights to Tigray region after takeover of Mekelle airport

Sept 23 (Reuters) – Tigrayan forces seized the main airport in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region on Wednesday, three local sources said, and Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to the region, in the latest escalation to raise fears of a new war.

The move follows months of deteriorating relations between the federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the party that runs Tigray. The two sides fought a war from 2020-2022 that resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths.

On Sunday, the TPLF and six other armed groups across Ethiopia announced that they had formed an alliance aimed at overthrowing Abiy’s government.

On Wednesday, three local sources, including one security source, told Reuters that Tigrayan forces had taken control of the Mekelle airport from federal police overnight.