Symbolic imageEthiopian forces take Adwa in Tigray after Adigrat and Mekelle
Ethiopian federal forces and an allied militia entered Adwa, about 40km from the Eritrean border, on Sunday, residents say. The TPLF had withdrawn a day earlier.
Residents told AFP that the troops entered Adwa on Sunday, 11 October, without a fight, days after Ethiopian forces captured Adigrat. One resident said the government forces had not yet reached the town centre. Mekelle fell to Ethiopian forces the week before, after the TPLF confirmed its withdrawal and said it had moved its regional administration "temporarily". On Sunday Ethiopian Airlines resumed flights from Addis Ababa to Mekelle for the first time since 23 September, when a seven-group armed alliance including the TPLF began fighting and captured the airport. TPLF Vice President Amanuel Assefa said he "did not wish to comment".
Looting and a drone strike
A resident told AFP that shops in Adwa are closed and that many government institutions, including Adwa Hospital, were looted the previous night. Conflict monitor ACLED said Ethiopian drone strikes hit a hotel in Adwa on 4 October, wounding five to nine people; some of its sources said senior TPLF officials were there, which is unverified.
Eritrea at the centre of the dispute
Ethiopia accuses Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of backing the rebel alliance; Khartoum and Cairo deny it. Eritrea severed diplomatic ties last week and, according to the topic summary, asked the UN Security Council on Saturday to condemn what it calls Ethiopia's "declaration of war".