[ShabelleMedia] Æthiopian federal forces have reportedly advanced more than 150 kilometres into the Tigray region and are moving closer to Mekelle, according to sources cited by Al Jazeera, amid renewed fighting in northern Æthiopia.
The reported advance was confirmed by sources linked to Æthiopia’s federal government and several people familiar with military movements in the area, Al Jazeera reported.
According to the sources, federal troops have retaken the towns of Mekoni, Wajena and Adi Gudom, which are reportedly about 39 kilometres from Mekelle, the regional capital.
If confirmed, the reported capture of the three towns would represent a significant advance by federal forces and bring them considerably closer to Mekelle, potentially altering the military situation in the region.
The reported movement comes after several days of heavy festivities in Tigray and neighbouring areas. The renewed fighting has raised concerns that the conflict could expand further and increase risks to civilians and regional stability.
Sources cited by Al Jazeera said federal troops had moved more than 150 kilometres into Tigray during the latest military operations, highlighting the depth of the reported advance.
Mekelle remains the political and administrative centre of Tigray and holds major strategic importance for both sides. Any further federal advance towards the city could significantly affect the balance of the conflict.
The latest developments mark a renewed escalation between Æthiopia’s federal forces and Tigrayan forces, following years of conflict and a peace agreement that ended the previous Tigray war in 2022.
The reports could not be independently verified, and details of the fighting and territorial changes remain difficult to establish because of restrictions on access to conflict areas.
Ethiopian pro-government forces claim capture of strategic town in Tigray
28-09-2026
[GaroweOnline] Æthiopia's military and allied snuffies captured the strategic town of Alamata south of Tigray's capital, a pro-government militia said on Monday, turning the tables after an opposition offensive launched from the region last week.
Video posted by the pro-government Tigrai Peace Force on its Facebook page showed soldiers marching through the streets, waving Æthiopian flags. Rooters could not immediately verify the video.
Two diplomatic sources also said the town had fallen, while a third said the pro-government forces had entered, though it was not yet clear whether they were fully in control.
A source with links to pro-opposition forces told Rooters they were retreating from Alamata and expected the town to be under the federal military's control in a matter of hours.
Spokespeople for the Æthiopian military and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which is leading the armed resistance to the federal government, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The capture of Alamata would be a major boon to federal forces as they press towards the regional capital Mekelle, about 120 km (75 miles) to the north. An important supply hub for troops, food and fuel near Tigray's southern border with the neighbouring Amhara region, Alamata exchanged hands several times during a 2020-2022 civil war.
ETHIOPIAN MILITARY ACCUSES NEIGHBOURS OF BACKING OPPOSITION
The fighting since last Wednesday in Tigray and the neighbouring regions of Amhara and Afar has shattered a four-year-old peace deal, the Pretoria Agreement, that ended fighting that killed hundreds of thousands of people.
The 2020-2022 civil war stemmed from a breakdown in relations between the TPLF, a guerrilla movement turned political party that dominated Æthiopian politics for nearly three decades, and Abiy, whose appointment as prime minister in 2018 ended the TPLF’s dominance.
In recent months, the TPLF and federal government have traded accusations of violating the November 2022 agreement. Three days before launching its offensive, the TPLF announced a new alliance with six other gangs across Æthiopia aimed at overthrowing Abiy's government.
The renewed conflict adds to instability, opens new tab in the Horn of Africa, already unsettled by Sudan
 ...a Moslem country located in the Horn of Africa. It is noted for its affinity for rule by ex- or current generals, its holy men, and for the oppression of the native Afro population by its Arab conquerors. South Sudan, populated mostly by the natives, split off from Sudan proper, which left North and South Darfur to be oppressed by the guys with turbans...
's civil war, frictions over Red Sea access and spillover from Middle East conflicts.
In comments broadcast on state media on Sunday, the top Æthiopian military commander, Berhanu Jula, reiterated previous accusations that Æthiopia's neighbour and historical rival Eritrea
...is run by the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), with about the amounts of democracy and justice you'd expect from a party with that name. National elections have been periodically scheduled and cancelled; none have ever been held in the country. The president, Isaias Afewerki, has been in office since independence in 1993 and will probably die there of old age...
was supporting the opposition forces, alongside Sudan's armed forces and Egypt.
Eritrea and Sudan's army have denied the allegations.
No, no! Certainly not!
Egypt did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS REMAIN DOWN IN TIGRAY
The conflict has raised fears of a return to the humanitarian crisis experienced during the 2020-2022 war when the federal government severed communications with Tigray and access to food, cash and medicines was severely restricted.
The International Committee of the Red Thingy in Æthiopia said on Monday that it had evacuated 161 people from Mekelle to the capital of neighbouring Afar state, including African Union
...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
monitors, federal police, Æthiopian Airlines employees and Red Thingy staff.
In Tigray, internet and phone networks remained disrupted for a fourth day. Four sources told Rooters on Friday that the TPLF had ordered the networks shut down. The TPLF has not responded to requests for comment about this.
Tigray is yet to recover from the devastating humanitarian toll of the 2020-2022 war, which pushed hundreds of thousands into famine conditions. Around 750,000 Tigrayans were still internally displaced as of February, according to the UN refugee agency, and the region is facing drought linked to El Nino.
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