Story perspectives

TPLF seizes three Tigray airports, Ethiopia suspends flights

By Drooid · Sep 26, 2026, 6:00 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

TPLF fighters seized three Tigray airports and clashed with federal troops.
TPLF announced a seven-group Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival to overthrow the government.
Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to Mekelle, Axum and Shire following the airport seizures.
Federal adviser Getachew Reda called the TPLF action an “all-out offensive.”
Tigrayan officials described the fighting as a defensive war.

History

Historical Context

In May 1998 Ethiopia declared war on Eritrea after clashes near Badme, and within weeks both sides bombed each other's main airports—Ethiopia struck Asmara and Eritrea hit Mekelle—causing civilian casualties and displacing roughly 650,000 people. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front’s seizure of three Tigray airports today echoes those 1998 airport attacks, reviving regional security concerns.

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Story summary

TPLF fighters seized three Tigray airports and clashed with federal troops.
TPLF announced a seven-group Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival to overthrow the government.
Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to Mekelle, Axum and Shire following the airport seizures.
Federal adviser Getachew Reda called the TPLF action an “all-out offensive.”
Tigrayan officials described the fighting as a defensive war.

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