Symbolic imageAirstrikes continue in north Ethiopia as Addis Ababa cuts ties with Eritrea
Federal forces hold Mekelle, but airstrikes and artillery continue in the north. Ethiopia has cut ties with Eritrea, and Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia signal a new alliance.
The Tigray Peace Forces, a militia allied with the government, took Mekelle over the weekend after the TPLF said it had withdrawn temporarily, and federal troops followed. Reuters, citing aid sources, reports that airstrikes and artillery have since hit the north, and the Wall Street Journal reports drone strikes on Addis Ababa. TPLF chair Debretsion Gebremichael has said the movement will not hold fixed positions, and Le Monde notes that federal forces control only part of Tigray. Banks reopened in Mekelle on Monday, 5 October, but without cash, according to Le Monde.
Ties with Eritrea cut
Ethiopia ordered its embassy in Eritrea closed and declared 10 Eritrean diplomats persona non grata, after which Eritrea severed relations, The National reports. Addis Ababa accuses Eritrea, Egypt and Sudan of backing the rebels; all three deny it. Re-elected by parliament on Monday, Abiy Ahmed said Ethiopia needs Red Sea access and wants it by peaceful means.
Alliance signalled in Alamein
The leaders of Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia met on Sunday, 4 October, in the Egyptian city of Alamein. Their joint statement did not name Ethiopia, but it rejected unilateral actions harming downstream Nile users and said Red Sea governance is for littoral states. Egypt's foreign minister told Reuters Cairo is "not party to the domestic crisis" in Ethiopia.