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The United States called for “restraint” and “dialogue” as Ethiopia’s Tigray crisis pulled in regional neighbors, ahead of a meeting on the conflict Sunday in Egypt.
The fighting has triggered a breakdown in Ethiopia’s relations with Eritrea and Egypt, which Addis Ababa accuses of supporting rebels who have launched attacks against federal forces, raising fears of a return to the devastating civil war of 2020-2022.
A diplomatic source told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that Sunday’s mini-summit would bring together the presidents of Egypt, Eritrea and Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, as well as Sudanese Armed Forces chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
The meeting is set to take place in Alamein, Egypt, on the sidelines of an African Business Forum.
It comes a day after Ethiopian federal forces entered Mekelle, the capital of Tigray state, which has long been dominated by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, or TPLF, according to a humanitarian source.
Residents said TPLF fighters had abandoned the city.
Fighting erupted Sept. 23 in northern Ethiopia after the TPLF attacked neighboring states, saying it was once again in a “full-blown war” with the federal government.
Federal forces and pro-government militias have pushed them back in recent days and moved north toward Mekelle.
The conflict has also prompted a regional diplomatic feud.
Ethiopia expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats and shut its embassy in Asmara on Thursday.
Eritrea, which accuses landlocked Ethiopia of planning to invade and seize access to its coastline, responded that it would “sever all diplomatic ties” with its neighbor.
Ethiopia also expelled an Egyptian diplomat without explanation, prompting Cairo to take a reciprocal step.
“Increasing cross-border tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea have the potential to affect the entire region,” the U.S. State Department said Saturday.
“We strongly urge Ethiopia and Eritrea to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of their neighbors, exercise maximum restraint and return to dialogue and cooperation,” it added.
TPLF leader Debretsion Gebremichael said in a video message Thursday that “the war is regional and it is a war to control the Red Sea.”
A journalist in Mekelle told AFP on Saturday that “TPLF militants and leaders are leaving” the city.
“Ethiopian federal forces and allied forces have reportedly been observed in Mekelle city ... across various locations,” a humanitarian source told AFP, citing reports from staff on the ground.
The source said government offices and police stations had been left without security personnel.
The journalist could not be reached for further details because telecommunications networks have been severely disrupted in Tigray since hostilities resumed, making information from the region difficult to verify.
Residents in Mekelle said they feared for their safety.
“I am concerned that government and public property could be exposed to looting because there are no security forces in the city,” one resident told AFP.
“Lawlessness could spread in the city, and I am also afraid for my life. I want us to quickly return to law and order,” another resident said.
Neither the spokesperson for the Ethiopian National Defense Forces nor Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s office responded to AFP’s requests for comment.
The TPLF has long been the dominant force in Tigray and ousted a government-appointed administration this year.
Debretsion suggested Thursday that the group would continue guerrilla-style attacks, similar to its campaign after Mekelle fell to government forces in 2020.
That insurgency ultimately led to the TPLF retaking the city in mid-2021.
“We operate under a strategy to strike the enemy wherever we choose,” Debretsion said.
The TPLF ruled Ethiopia from 1991 to 2018, when it was marginalized after Abiy, who comes from the Oromia region, rose to power.
The tensions led to a civil war from 2020 to 2022, one of the deadliest conflicts in the world in recent times, leaving more than 600,000 people dead, according to the African Union.
The Pretoria peace agreement of 2022, brokered by African institutions and Washington, maintained an uneasy calm until last year but was never fully implemented.
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