Star Metro - Ethiopia controls Tigray capital as regional rivals meet in Egypt

The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) launched attacks against federal forces on September 23, sparking fears of a return to the devastating civil war of 2020-2022.

The presidents of Egypt, Somalia, Sudan and Eritrea -- all of whom have difficult relations with Ethiopia -- were set to meet in the Egyptian city of Alamein on Sunday to discuss the conflict.

Ethiopia has accused Eritrea of directly backing the Tigray rebels, with the added support of Sudan and Egypt, which all three countries deny.

A counter-offensive has seen the Ethiopian forces push deep into rebel-held territory, entering the regional capital, Mekelle, on Saturday without a fight, as TPLF leaders and troops abandoned the city.

Federal troops were patrolling Mekelle and manning key institutions on Sunday, a local journalist told AFP, as communications were restored for the first time in more than a week.

"We have taken control of Mekelle and we are marching forward," a commander with a pro-government militia told AFP.

Businesses and shops remained closed, with owners moving stock to safer locations ahead of time, fearing looting and vandalism.

"There are no police. Last night, we had to organise ourselves and take care of security," one resident told AFP, like others speaking on condition of anonymity because of uncertainty of the situation.

- Egypt mini-summit -

The mini-summit in Alamein was set to bring together Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki and Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, as well as the head of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, on the sidelines of an African Business Forum.

Eritrea, which shares a long border with Tigray state, is most directly involved in the conflict.

It accuses landlocked Ethiopia of planning to invade and seize access to its coastline. Analysts say it has backed the rebels in Ethiopia in a bid to keep the conflict away for its border.

The TPLF has long been the dominant force in Tigray, ousting a government-appointed administration this year.

The rebels' leader Debretsion Gebremichael implied this week that the group would continue guerrilla-style attacks as they did when Mekelle fell to government forces in 2020 during the last war.

Their insurgent campaign ultimately led to the TPLF retaking the city the following year.

"We operate under a strategy to strike the enemy wherever we choose," Debretsion said.

The TPLF ruled all of Ethiopia from 1991 to 2018, when it was marginalised with the rise of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who hails from the Oromia region.

The tensions led to a civil war from 2020 to 2022 that left more than 600,000 dead, according to the African Union, making it one of the deadliest in the world in recent times.

The Pretoria peace agreement of 2022, brokered by African institutions and Washington, was never fully implemented but still helped keep some kind of peace until last year.

Ch.Levesque--SMC