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Fighting in Tigray Continues After Ethiopian Forces Enter Mekelle, With Hundreds Reported Dead
Ethiopian federal forces have entered Mekelle less than two weeks after fighting resumed in late September, but reports say hundreds are already dead and combat continues beyond the regional capital, with drone and air force strikes killing dozens.
The entry of Ethiopian federal forces into Mekelle has not ended the latest round of war in Tigray, where renewed fighting since late September has reportedly killed hundreds of people and brought drone and air strikes back to a region still marked by earlier conflict.
Federal troops entered the Tigray capital less than two weeks after clashes resumed against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, which said it had carried out a strategic withdrawal from Mekelle and other main towns rather than risk encirclement and destruction of its forces.
Reports from the area say hundreds have been killed since this phase of the conflict began, including dozens of people in strikes by drones and the Ethiopian air force. The mix of ground combat and air power increases the danger for anyone living near suspected Tigrayan positions, supply lines or command sites, whether they are fighters or civilians who stayed in their homes.
For families in Tigray, the latest confrontation between Addis Ababa and Tigrayan forces comes after years of displacement and food shortages that left many communities dependent on fragile humanitarian deliveries. Each new battle or bombardment raises the chance that aid convoys will stop, clinics will run out of medicine and farmers will lose access to their fields.
The federal government wants the swift move into Mekelle to show it can reassert control and deter other challenges to central authority. By describing its withdrawal as strategic, Tigray’s leadership signals that it intends to preserve core units and shift to a more mobile campaign instead of defending major towns at any cost.
Control of Mekelle is symbolically and administratively important, but it does not settle the conflict. Tigray’s terrain and history of insurgency give local fighters space to regroup away from main roads, while federal forces must stretch supply lines and maintain garrisons in areas where hostility to central rule remains strong.
The renewed offensive has regional implications as well. Neighboring states and international partners are watching for spillover toward Eritrea and Sudan, additional refugee flows and signs that a government focused on Tigray will struggle to manage other internal tensions. Drone and air strikes that kill dozens are likely to deepen human-rights concerns and complicate Ethiopia’s relations with key donors.
For people in Tigray, repeated changes of control in towns like Mekelle have not yet translated into reliable electricity, banking, food deliveries or basic security. Those services depend on whether both sides stop fighting long enough for repairs and relief to reach communities, not just on which flag flies over local offices.
What happens next will depend on whether federal forces try to push deeper into rural Tigray and whether Tigrayan fighters can regroup into a guerrilla force capable of sustained resistance. Signs to watch include any talk of ceasefires, shifts in the tempo of air and drone strikes, and updates from aid agencies on their ability to reach areas outside Mekelle. A prolonged campaign would add to the death toll and harden positions, making any political settlement harder to reach.