Pro-govt forces besiege Tigray capital; Ethiopia, Eritrea cut ties

ADDIS ABABA: Militiamen allied with Ethiopia's federal government said on Friday they were bearing down on the capital of the northern rebel stronghold of Tigray, as fears grew that fighting could spill into a wider war after Ethiopia and Eritrea cut diplomatic ties. The pro-government Tigray Peace Forces militia said on Facebook it had captured the town of Milazat, about 20 km southeast of Mekelle, the main city in Tigray region. Video posted on social media and purportedly from Milazat showed TPF fighters in a blue truck chanting: 'Mekelle! Mekelle!' The Ethiopian military and allied fighters have made quick advances into Tigray since combat erupted last week with a rebel alliance led by the region's ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front, in the worst escalation of violence since a 2020-2022 civil war. Ethiopia closes embassy in Eritrea Analysts fear the current conflict could spread beyond Ethiopia's borders in an increasingly fragile region where other powers are competing for influence. Tigray has Ethiopia's longtime foe Eritrea to its north, and Sudan caught up in a more than three-year-old civil war to its west. Ethiopia's government has accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of supporting the opposition alliance an allegation they have all denied. On Thursday, Ethiopia said it was closing its embassy in Eritrea 'in response to Eritrea's direct and indirect acts of hostility and belligerence' and ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats to leave Ethiopia within 48 hours. Eritrea responded by severing all diplomatic ties with Ethiopia. The two countries fought a border war from 1998-2000 and only restored diplomatic relations in 2018. Banks, shops shut Inside Mekelle, banks and shops were closed on Friday in anticipation of possible fighting, two residents, who asked not to be named, told Reuters. A diplomatic source said senior TPLF leaders had already left Mekelle and the conflict would likely keep going even if federal forces took the city. In 2020, federal forces captured Mekelle within the first month of the war before the TPLF mounted a counter-offensive that reclaimed the city seven months later. TPLF chairperson Debretsion Gebremichael acknowledged on Thursday that federal forces had occupied some parts of the region but said his forces would counter-attack 'in due course'. 'We should ensure that Tigray is their graveyard, not their playground,' he said in a statement. On Thursday, Ethiopia's foreign ministry also expelled an Egyptian diplomat, prompting Cairo to respond in kind by expelling an Ethiopian embassy counsellor. In a statement, the African Union Commission urged Ethiopia, Eritrea and Egypt to exercise 'maximum restraint'. Ahead of the latest fighting, the TPLF formed an alliance with six other Ethiopian armed groups that say they aim to overthrow Abiy's government. Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2026