TPLF Suspends Flights and Restricts Access at Mekelle's Alula Aba Nega Airport, Accusing Federal Government of Ferrying Troops
Why It MattersRepeated airport seizures and suspensions in Tigray show how fast conflict can cut a region's air links, leaving Ethiopian Airlines' resumed schedules exposed to abrupt interruption.
The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) announced in a weekend statement that it was suspending flights to Alula Aba Nega Airport in Mekelle, accusing the federal government of using the airline "to transport troops" to the Tigray region. The TPLF also restricted any movement in and around the airport. The announcement followed the TPLF's army, the Tigray Defence Force (TDF), gaining territory against the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF), after the ENDF and its allies had claimed the previous week to have dislodged TPLF forces from Mekelle and several other cities.
On Friday, the Ethiopian government announced a six-month caretaker administration for the region, with responsibilities including restoring peace and security, re-establishing a government structure, rebuilding damaged infrastructure and organizing regional elections. Getachew Reda, the former Tigray Interim Administration president and now the prime minister's adviser on East African Affairs, described the TPLF announcement as a move toward terrorist activity.
The recent conflict began when the TPLF seized three airports (Aksum, Mekelle and Shire) and arrested federal police posted there, along with Ethiopian Airlines staff, who were later released with the Ethiopian Red Cross's intervention. Flights to the region were suspended for about three weeks afterward. Last week Ethiopian Airlines resumed six-times-daily flights to Mekelle after the ENDF dislodged TPLF forces from the city. Neither Ethiopian Airlines nor the federal government has commented on whether flights will be suspended again.
