The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) rejected Tigray’s federal caretaker administration and vowed to continue fighting after the Ethiopian military captured Mekelle, Anadolu Agency reported Friday.
TPLF chairman Debretsion Gebremichael said on Tigrayan television, “Tigray will remain a graveyard for its enemies.” He also said territorial setbacks did not mean the movement had been defeated, Anadolu reported.
The Ethiopian military took Mekelle on Oct. 3 after TPLF fighters left the city, Anadolu reported. Federal forces have extended control into several towns of strategic importance, the agency said. Fighting resumed Sept. 23, almost four years after a peace accord ended a two-year war in northern Ethiopia.
Anadolu said Tigray is still recovering from the 2020-2022 war, which displaced large numbers of people and caused severe humanitarian harm. It also linked the renewed violence to tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of assisting armed groups opposed to the federal government; Eritrea denies destabilizing Ethiopia and has voiced concern about Addis Ababa’s remarks on access to the Red Sea. EconoTimes previously covered Abiy Ahmed’s warning to Eritrea over alleged TPLF support.
Abiy Ahmed appointed a caretaker administration for Tigray, and regional elections are planned within six months, according to Anadolu. The TPLF has rejected the arrangement.
