Tigray Rebels Reported to Have Left Regional Capital Mekelle

Rebel forces from Ethiopia's Tigray region have left Mekelle, the regional capital, according to a local journalist cited by Le Monde and the Agence France-Presse news agency.

The report said Ethiopian federal forces had advanced rapidly toward Mekelle in recent days, though as of the time of reporting they had not yet entered the city itself. The circumstances surrounding the rebels' departure, including whether it followed direct combat or a strategic withdrawal, were not detailed in the available reporting.

Tigray, in northern Ethiopia, was the site of a devastating civil war between 2020 and 2022 between federal forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), a conflict that resulted in significant civilian casualties and a major humanitarian crisis before a peace agreement was signed in Pretoria in November 2022. Tensions in the region have periodically resurfaced since then, including internal divisions within the TPLF and disputes over the implementation of the peace deal.

Mekelle, the largest city in Tigray, has held symbolic and strategic importance throughout the broader conflict as the administrative center of the region. Any shift in control over the city would mark a significant development in the area's fragile post-war political situation.

Ethiopian federal authorities have not yet issued a formal statement confirming their forces' entry into Mekelle or detailing the current military situation in the region. International observers, including the United Nations, have previously urged all parties in Tigray to avoid a return to full-scale conflict given the scale of suffering during the 2020-2022 war.

Further confirmation of the situation on the ground, including from independent sources, was not immediately available.